[ExI] cool! locals create circuit board modeled on the human brain

[Anders Sandberg]

spike <spike66 at att.net> , 1/5/2014 6:23 PM:


  

Consider the above calculation.  We have about 1E11 brain cells (I think that is the standard estimate, do correct me if I err.)  If the above calculation of 4E15 is correct, then the average brain cell would need to fire 4E4 times per second.  The standard estimate I have heard is a typical brain cell fires at about 200 Hz, for a 2E13 rate.
Yup. 1E11 is the standard guess, with 86 billion neurons the latest number I heard (the cortex seems to be slightly less numerous than we previously thought, while there are 4 times as many neurons in the cerebellum as in the cortex). Firing rates vary *a lot* but for most neurons it is usually way below 200 Hz; most of the activity is below 40 Hz. At any time only a fraction are in "up-states" where they fire bursts. So quadrillions of firings is likely a bit of an overstatement. 

Still. *Lots* of action potentials. 


Anders Sandberg, Future of Humanity Institute Philosophy Faculty of Oxford University
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