Integration of function in the nervous system — A new theory

Abstract

A new theory of synaptic function in the nervous system (Dempsher, 1978) is applied to the simplest system for integration of function in the nervous system. This system includes a sensory and motor neuron and three ‘synaptic’ regions associated with those two neurons; a receptor region, an interneuronal spinal synaptic region linking the two neurons, and an effector region.

Information is first received and processed at the receptor region. The processing consists of five components:

• 1. A highly selective mechanism which allows only that information to enter the receptor system which is appropriate.

• 2. The ‘appropriateness’ of the information is determined by the alphabet (miniature potentials) already in that area.

• 3. The information entering the system is assembled in a pattern meaningful for the next processing operation.

• 4. The assembled information is then ‘disassembled’ into its subunits and mapped into the alphabet (miniature potentials).

• 5. These miniature potentials are assembled into another pattern meaningful to fit the role of the receptor region.

• 6. This new pattern is repacked for transit to the central synaptic region.

At the central synaptic region, essentially the same process takes place except here an additional operation takes place which determines its role in the processing system. The incoming information is disassembled into its subunits, mapped into the miniature potentials already there; these are collected together in a meaningful pattern, ‘operated’ on, then repacked for transit to the effector site, where again the same kind of processing sequence takes place.

In all three regions, despite the difference in their roles, there are similar processing features:

• (1) In each region, three forms of the nerve impulse are involved: miniature graded potentials, graded potentials, action potentials.

• (2) In each region, each component of the process is carried out by a precise mathematical operation: four each in the receptor and effector regions; five in the central synaptic region.

It is suggested that integration of function in the nervous system consists of converting information into energy which is in turn converted into a number. Processing of information at each region then involves mathematical operations applied to these numbers. Function appears to be stereotyped in all three regions. The receptor region receives highly selective and restrictive information so that the universe we ‘perceive’ would appear to be a subset of a much larger universe.