3 ms·

Like double entry bookkeeping, wouldn't it be possible to just add an inhibitory pathway to get the same effect as dialing down the excitatory one?

• withinboredom 3y ago
  There isn't such a thing as inhibiting a pathway in the brain. Not directly, anyway. There are inhibitory neurons that attach to other neurons and prevent them from firing. These neurons literally hug other neurons to prevent them from firing, which has the effect you're wanting but may not have the desired macro effect as there may be ways to still fire the neuron (not enough inhibition, or other brain chemicals like cortisol -- stress -- might prevent it from being fully inhibited). Further, the brain mostly works on creating more efficient pathways vs. inhibiting. If a behavior previously existed, life tends to suggest that it was important at some point and may be important at another point. For example, my muscle memory for some activities still exists from being in the military. I will still annihilate entire teams in a game of paintball (which is pretty much the only place these skills are still useful, short of returning to a warzone). Another example is that parts of your brain are dedicated to recognizing everyone you ever knew. Short of them dying or moving away, eventually, you may run into them again.