Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Infinite Connections within the Human Brain?

Hello everyone, I've read some stuff about neural networks but I still haven't come up next to some info.
The human brain has around 12 billion neurons and respectively one of these things recieves around 60, 000 input conections from other neurons..
Is there a finite number of synapses/connections our brain can construct??
Is this unknown?
or
Are there infinite connections?
Thanks
(If you are prepared to answer this, please backup everything with some proven/trustworthy sources, otherwise please don't answer) There is no current background to suggest that the neurons of the brain can make an infinite number of connections. It is clear from a multitude of studies that the number of connections received by a single neuron can be influenced by various factors relating to synaptic strength, competition between synapses and other modifying effects. The number of connections between right to be heard output neurons and modulatory neurons, whether augmenting or inhibitory, can change during the course of that neurons individual life span. "Experience", according to the Hebbian model of synaptic stabilization and strengthening, plays a critical role in both the establishment and the care of individual synapses. More recent work at the level of individual synaptic boutons, shows that physiologic alterations dramatically effect the size and nouns efficacy of individual synapses.
It is an extraordinarily complicated field and near is no one, single quotation that covers it completely but for a start you might consult "Principles of Neuroscience" by Kandel, Schwartz, and Jessel.
At a more detailed level, a recent review might be assiduous by Averbeck et al (2006) Nat. Rev. Neurosci.; 7:358-366

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