Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!tank!uwvax!astroatc!johne
From: johne@astroatc.UUCP (Jonathan Eckrich)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.neural-nets
Subject: Re: Flexibility of nervous systems
Message-ID: <1595@astroatc.UUCP>
Date: 14 Mar 89 21:21:47 GMT
References: <2400@scolex.sco.COM>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Astronautics Technology Cntr, Madison, WI
Lines: 28

(Sean Brunnock) writes:

>>the human brain is pretty much uniform. This 

(Carol Freinkel) replies:

>This is only partially true.  There are many areas of the brain 
>which cannot be replaced if damaged.  If the vision-processing
>region at the back of the brain is removed, the person will be
>blind. 

I recently read an article (Sorry, but I cannot recall the name) that
discussed operations performed on infant ferrets.  The optic nerves were
rerouted to what should be the part of the brain that handles hearing.

As the baby ferrets grew and experienced their environment, they developed
essentially normal sight - I don't know the quality of the surgeon's work
in reattaching the optic nerves to the auditory section of the brain.

This suggests to me that certain parts of the brain are uniform at birth,
but as experiences accumulate, new synaptic connections are made, and that
these parts of the brain become specialized by virtue of the unique
processing that they must learn.

-- 
						Jon Eckrich
				   (rutgers, ames)!uwvax!astroatc!johne
					    nicmad!astroatc!johne