| This is the "Synaptic Darwinism" website of Paul Adams and Kingsley Cox, who work at the Kalypso Mind/Brain Center, and in the Department of Neurobiology at Stony Brook University. |
Synaptic Darwinism "Synaptic Darwinism" is a revolutionary theory about the brain, rooted in knowledge about nerve cells and their connections, and illuminating some of the knottiest issues in science, medicine, philosophy and religion. We are especially interested in one question: what is it about the human brain, which is essentially just a lump of meat, that allows it to understand the world? – and, for example, to write or read this website. Obviously, the brain does more than understand – it feels, hopes, dreams, sleeps, decides, remembers, plans etc. However, we think that these things will only be understood when we understand understanding itself. Our theory explains the central principle of the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that is proportionately most developed in humans, and is attacked in a variety of diseases, such as autism, schizophrenia, epilepsy, Down syndrome and depression. While we cannot suggest cures, we are sure that without understanding the core principles behind the brain, no real progress will be possible. |
| We thank Kristen Harris for the image of a EM reconstruction of a CA1 pyramidal cell dendrite used as a background to pages on this website. The image is from the website Synapse Web |
