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The Mind Behind the Hebbian Synapse

Donald O Hebb

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Abstract

How do neurons orchestrate behaviour? Let us trace our footsteps back to one of the first hypotheses proposing an alliance between the brain and behaviour. This article trace Donald Hebb’s life, and how, in the neurophysiology milieu of the 20th century, he revolutionized the way psychologists and neuroscientists viewed the brain, bringing a unifying concept of the mind with his publication of The Organization of Behaviour. In closing, the legacy of Hebb in the after-years of the monograph is discussed in the context of contemporary discoveries in the realm of neural plasticity and learning that revisit Hebbian concepts.

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Suggested Reading

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Batiment AI, Laboratory of Synaptic Mechanisms (LSYM) Brain Mind Institute, Station 19, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Shriya Palchaudhuri

Authors
  1. Shriya Palchaudhuri
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Correspondence to Shriya Palchaudhuri.

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Shriya Palchaudhuri is a PhD student at the Brain Mind Institute at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland in the Laboratory of Synaptic Mechanisms. Her research involves elucidating plasticity mechanisms involved in emotional learning using ex-vivo and in-vivo electrophysiological and optogenetic tools. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physiology from Presidency College (now University), Kolkata and Master’s from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

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Palchaudhuri, S. The Mind Behind the Hebbian Synapse. Reson 25, 1215–1230 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-020-1040-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-020-1040-9

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