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The neocortex is a key part of the biological computer between our ears. It processes vast amounts of information, combining our knowledge, expectations and perceptions of reality into a coherent picture — but how it does so remains unclear. New research is looking into this convoluted matter.
Ambition for cognition
The research is backed by a fellowship grant, awarded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions for a proposal named BayesianHumanCortex. It will explore how the neocortex carries out processes known as Bayesian computations.
Recent findings suggest that the layers of the neocortex are specifically connected to support this particular form of statistical inference, drawing on information, experience and probabilities to help us make sense of the world.
The new Marie Curie project will try to establish if the different elements of these computations are associated with specific layers of the neocortex, or if they are linked with the different types of oscillation produced by neurons. As a next step, it will investigate whether these computations are the building blocks of our mental machinery for the processing of syntax.
Probing our lobes
Meeting these objectives will involve observing the actual exchange of information within and between the different layers. This has been difficult so far, but recent advances have opened up new possibilities.
Neural implants, for example, are increasingly used to treat various diseases and can provide crucial data in the process. The project will combine recordings obtained from such devices with information from brain scans. Funded for three years from May 2015, it could bring us another step closer to understanding what goes on inside those big brains of ours — and it could also shed new light on the various disorders associated with our cognitive functions.