4 ms·
Ask HN: How do neurons not end up in an infinite loop?
A neuron triggers other neurons, those in turn trigger more neurons, given each neuron connects to 1000s of other neurons then it's reasonable to think some of them connect to neurons that trigger the parent neurons. In programming this would be akin to cyclical dependency causing infinite loop.
So how come brain just doesn't completely lights up, with each neuron stuck infinite loop?
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- smt88 5y agoWhy do you assume that they never do? A friend of mine has severe OCD and OCPD, and his brain very much seems like it's stuck on a loop. I know some autistic people express the same thing.
- techsin101 5y agoI meant under normal circumstances
- billconan 5y agoI guess because of Attenuation?
- smt88 5y agoWhat about getting a song stuck in your head or having a nervous tic? I'm not sure the concept of an infinite loop even makes sense for a brain's "architecture" anyway. After millions of years of evolution, there are lots of "errors" that just aren't common at all, so asking why an error isn't "normal" is very presumptive.
- babulus 5y agoIn general the contribution of an action potential from one neuron is not enough to make the neurons it's connected to also fire. Neurons require relatively synchronized excitatory inputs from a large number of neurons to induce an action potential. There will also be inhibitory inputs from other neurons as well. Another phenomenon that counters recurrent excitation is lateral inhibition. An excitatory neuron firing will synapse with an inhibitory interneuron nearby. If the interneuron fires it inhibits a great number of neurons in the local vicinity, including the excitatory neurons that just made it fire. It can act to reduce local excitability.