The Mind within the Net: Models of Learning, Thinking, and Acting

Is your brain like your computer? Well, (hopefully) it doesn't crash as often, and that's just one of many on the long list of differences. But psychiatrist Manfred Spitzer says neuroscientists have much to learn from the alternative computing architectures called neural nets. His book The Mind Within the Net is a look at biological and electronic networks, their similarities, and what each can tell us about the other, with a particular emphasis on his own field. We've known for decades how individual neurons work. It's taken recent advances in neural computing to help us learn how brain systems might take advantage of their unique dynamics to help us see, walk, and keep the trains running on time.

Covering the basics of both neuroscience and neural computing with a user-friendly, but not oversimplified, prose style, Spitzer then moves on to the often striking similarities in function between simple electronic networks and mechanisms within the brain. Keeping in mind the importance of recognizing models as such, he takes pains to point out that there are some aspects of computing for which there is little comparison to biological systems. However, the similarities between different network degradations and such diverse problems as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and depression are compelling and potentially important. It's not often that we get a new batch of metaphors to help us understand ourselves; this may be the paradigm shift we've been waiting for. --Rob Lightner