Krasnow Institute > Monday Seminars > Abstracts

Neuronal Arbors
and the
Capability to Acquire Knowledge

Giorgio Ascoli
Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Krasnow Institute, GMU

Over the past decade, my lab's research agenda revolved around neuronal morphology, i.e. the tree-like shape of nerve cells. The importance of neuronal arbors in modern neuroscience is rooted in two foundational aspects. On the one hand, dendrites and axons mediate respectively the functional input and output of neurons. On the other, they constitute the essential substrates for network connectivity. At the same time, many of us investigators at the Krasnow Institute are motivated by the philosophical problem of the mind-brain relation. We recognize the need of a radical shift in the current scientific paradigm to include first-person (subjective) experience as a legitimate topic of empirical investigation. To date, the exact neural correlates are not yet known for any conscious function. However, two general principles are commonly (if implicitly) believed. First, mental states (thoughts, feelings, memories, intentions, etc.) consist of spatio-temporal activity patterns in networks of neurons. Second, learning, meant as the acquisition of the potential to instantiate a previously unknown mental state, corresponds to the formation of new connections among neurons, enabling the activation of the new spatio-temporal pattern underlying said mental state.

In this talk, I will introduce the notion that the branching structure of neurons provides a fundamental physical underpinning for a key cognitive function, namely the capability to learn. In particular, I will explain that this capability is far from trivial and that any individual can typically only acquire a fraction of the relations that can in principle be known. Moreover, I will illustrate how the spatial architecture of axons and dendrites provides a crucial constraint (and insight) on the capability to acquire knowledge. I will conclude with a preview of future research directions based on these ideas. The seminar will be kept at a lay level because subjective experience and tree shapes are accessible to all humankind.

Back to Top

The Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study
Mail Stop 2A1, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (703) 993-4333 Fax: (703) 993-4325
Email: krasnow-webmaster@gmu.edu