BRAIN BASIC FUNCTIONAL CIRCUIT (BRAIN FUNCTIONAL UNITY)NEW PARADIGMS IN NEUROSCIENCE

It have been identified a group of new Paradigms in Neuroscience which indicate the true anatomy and physiology of the central nervous system, I have included them in a book titled New Paradigms in Neuroscience. Here I present the number one, which is implicated in the others as a basic element; I have called it Brain Basic Functional Circuit (BBFC) and this is a fragment of the mentioned book which has not yet been published.

What the reader will find inside is the description and the demonstration of BBFC. Why it is needed brain has a functional unity, different than the anatomical unity, the isolated neural cell, otherwise he will not be able to function as it does and to do all what it does. I have to say BBFC is one of the expressions of the main property of neural cells, which is to be located in an appropriate way one in relation with the others.

IV.1.2.-BRAIN BASIC FUNCTIONAL CIRCUIT (BBFC).- The anatomical unity of brain, the neural cell, thought in an isolated way, it is not at the same time the functional unity of brain, is not its functional unity. The functional unity of brain is the Brain Basic Functional Circuit (BBFC),  which is a group of three neural cells suitably placed, in order to always alternate, in all brain synapses, one excitatory with one inhibitory impulse to create a binary code, which by the way is the brain unity of information, like a bit. This event plays a main roll in brain function. It is needed to distinguish between neural cell functions and brain functions which are not identical or equivalent. The alternation must happen in the same place, in each synaptic junction.

Neural impulses transmission between neurons has several features, one of them is when received and transmitted one impulse by the neural cell, this neural cell must undergo the refractory state, which means rest or off position, during a period of time of one millisecond, during this time neural cell can’t receive or transmit other impulse, for that it is needed neural cells to be placed in BBFC, because the

refractory estate which is suffered by every neural cell after receiving and transmitting  one impulse, doesn’t happen spontaneously it must be induced by a second synaptic junction, that of the interneuron which liberate the inhibitory neurotransmitter.

Graphic Nº1. To illustrate the way the neural impulses are transmitted in brain from one synaptic junction to another and the BBFC, brain functional unity, where the transmission takes place. With this hardware the binary code is generated to contain a bit of information.

The digital way and not analogue of brain functioning, needs a special hardware which is the BBFC, to produce the binary code, on off positions, essential element to process and to transport digital information, which is also the one of highest level of development in   universe. Also brain has to regulate the function of all peripheral structures in the body, like glands, muscles and sensory organs; this can’t be achieved if brain can’t alternate excitatory with inhibitory impulses, and for that neural cells must be placed in BBFC.   

In order to carry out the just mentioned tasks, the anatomical unity of brain, the neural cell is not skilled enough; brain needs a functional unity that allows it to fulfill all the great deal of functions and tasks it does. This functional unity is what I have called the BBFC, which is

made of a group of three neural cells, located one in relation to the others, for the neural impulse to be initiated in one neural cell, which send it through its axon to the target neural cell, stimulates it through the liberation of an excitatory neurotransmitter (glutamate, aspartate) (on position), but also the axon of the initial neural cell, branch of a fiber for to target the inter neural cell, which send its axon to the same target neural cell, for to generate, on arriving an instant later, the refractory state (off position), through the liberation of one inhibitory neurotransmitter (GABA, glycine).

With the described arrangement nature has designed the anatomic hardware, to make sure that every neural cell receives the axon of the initial neural cell and also the axon of the interneuron. With this hardware happen that in the first place the excitatory impulse arrives through the main axon and an instant later the inhibitory impulse arrives, coming from the interneuron, which is needed to generate the refractory state and the binary code. (See graphic N° 1).

Graphic Nº 2. To show the way the glandular function can be increased or lessen by brain using the BBFC.  

In addition the hardware BBFC is essential to regulate the peripheral organs function like glands, for to generate an increase or decrease in

the secretion of any gland of the body, brain could not do it without the BBFC. For to generate a change in a muscle function like a contraction, a hypertonic state or a convulsion and a hypotonic state or paralysis, brain could not do it without the BBFC; to regulate the entrance of impulses coming from the peripheral sense organs, for to enhance or to block the entrance, which can be partial and temporarily or total and forever, brain can not do it without the hardware of the BBFC, the peripheral sense organs are the external agents of brain. To rule out the permanent cell division in the endo and ectodermic tissues the BBFC is essential, but in this case there is another brain hardware that participates. (See graphic N° 2 and 3).

The connections between the main stations in brain, are carried out by fascicles which are made of fibers coming, in part, from initial neural cells only,  because the fibers coming from interneurons seems to be shorter, brain doesn’t waste energy or resources, so the interneuron seems to be placed in a nearer position to the target neural cell.

Graphic Nº 3. To show the way brain control the peripheral sensorial organs through the BBFC that allows quantitative changes. Modified from Neter.

An example is the connections between the cortex of the two brain hemisphere, in which the initial neural cell placed in one side cortex, send its axon to the neural cell target placed in the contra lateral hemisphere, this axon crosses through the corpus callosum, branch of a fiber when in the opposite side to contact the interneuron placed in the caudate nucleus of this side, this interneuron send its axon to the same target neural cell. The interneuron in this case is placed in the caudate nucleus, which can be deduct from the shape and size of the caudate which reflects the shape and size of the hemisphere like in a mirror (See graphic N° 4). 

Graphic Nº 4. To show how the communication between the two brain hemispheres takes place, using the BBFC.

In the motor pathway, from motor cortex to the midbrain and the spinal cord, the interneuron is placed in the lenticular nucleus. That is to say connections among synapses in brain are always made by BBFC, not between two neural cells only. This neural cells positioning allows brain to govern the peripheral organs functions in a quantitative way, that is to say, to increase or decrease the function, like in glands, muscles or peripheral sensory organs. In order to generate qualitative changes brain must addition other hardware. (See graphic N° 5).

Graphic Nº 5. To show how the motor pathway is made for to regulate the muscles contraction, using the BBFC. In the present graphic it is shown the corticopontine pathway. 

Now we can conclude the neural cells generating one fascicle can produce on the target neural cells, one excitatory effect alternated with one inhibitory and in a normal function, the two kinds of impulses must keep a temporary equilibrium, but when the equilibrium is broken the target neural cells may begin to present an accelerate functioning if there is a predominance of excitatory impulses, but to decrease their

function if there is a predominance of inhibitory impulses. For to produce one or the other situation, it is needed the interneuron be permanently inhibited by a second synaptic junction or on the contrary, the initial neural cell be permanently inhibited by a second synaptic junction.

We can imagine the initial neural cells in a great fascicle to be permanently inhibited, then the target neural cells will be receiving only inhibitory impulses, so they will stay permanently inhibited. If the target neural cells are those in the motor cortex, number four area of Brodman, a paralysis of the contrary half of the body will happen, that is to say one hemiplegia. There you are the true mechanism of hemiplegia, if we think the brain functioning in accordance with the New Paradigms in Neuroscience presented here.

But the BBFC not only find application in physiology and pathology, it finds application also in psychology. The common phenomenon of memory when the person can’t recall some information he is sure to be in his memory, that happens because the forgotten information which is storage in a complex functioning circuit, can’t be transported to the sensory primary cortex, place where we remember, because through a BBFC brain and mind closes the way out of the impulses that should transport such an information. As we can see, all the brain and mind functions, the physiologic, the pathologic and the psychological, only can be carried out if the functional unity of brain is the BBFC.        

In the last example we see how the union between psychology and physiology, between mind and brain, takes place, there is showed how the psychological phenomenon takes place in a physic substratum, in the anatomy with chemical measurable events. To forget things we know, are daily experiences of all human been. The anterior information is new knowledge, generated working with the New Scientific Clinical Applied Research as a tool.              

What brain does is to replicate the BBFC thousands of millions of times, to build the different hardware he needs to carry out his different functions and tasks, also those different hardware must have a predetermined shape and size. So if now we want to build a brain, we only have to manufacture functional unities like the BBFC and to join them as needed, to build a brain as complex as we want, that is to say,

this is the fundamental unity to produce artificial intelligence of new generation and unlimited power.

 

RAMIRO VERGARA, MDwww.funda-cyt.comramiro.m.vergara@gmail.comCarrera 27 A bis No 61C-50Phone: 57 1 4627021 Bogotá - Colombia