The Mind Within the Net
by Manfred Spitzer

   This book presents a very comprehensive view of the brain from a psychiatrist's perspective, using experimental data and neural network insights. The book

• uses schematic stains of neurons to discuss the 6-layer structure of the cortex.
• the homunculus showing a distorted person on portions of the brain is explained as a neural map of stimuli from the external body
• there are analagous maps for the other senses, including several retinoptic maps
• computer models have demonstrated the self-organizing ability of neural networks when presented with data - that is, the brain's spontaneous ability to create maps of the external world
• discusses the limitations and strengths of computer modeling the human brain
• explains the delta rule

 

• explains center-surround structure of pyramidal cells and its implications
• presents advances in understanding the operation of many modules of the brain, at least a dozen I picked up on
• discussed autism, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, amensia, delusions - using a neural network framework for understanding symptoms and devising treatments
• discussed learning and the changes in the brain, including myelinization, as we progress from infants to adults
• the important idea of semantic storage was discussed. Neural net methods and experiments used to demonstrate how semantic storage can be developed in the brain
• the impact of noise on formal thought disorder
• different types of neural networks, including the Elman for memory storage
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