The Brain as a Synergetic and Physical System

This paper presents an outline of our brain theory that we have developed over the past 30 years. Some remarks on the early stages of Synergetics that I initiated some 40 years ago are included. Using basic concepts of Synergetics such as order parameters and the slaving principle, brain functions are modeled both at the macroscopic (order parameter) and the microscopic (neuronal) levels. I deal with movement coordination, psychophysics (ambiguous figures), pattern recognition by the synergetic computer, my “light house model” of a neural net, and give some hints at applications to psychology and psychotherapy (“principle of indirect steering”). Finally, I discuss relations between Synergetics and Complexity Science.

[1]  Stephen Grossberg,et al.  The ART of adaptive pattern recognition by a self-organizing neural network , 1988, Computer.

[2]  Hermann Haken.  Brain Dynamics: An Introduction to Models and Simulations , 2002 .

[3]  W. Weidlich,et al.  THE STATISTICAL DESCRIPTION OF POLARIZATION PHENOMENA IN SOCIETY , 1971 .

[4]  H. Haken,et al.  A theoretical model of phase transitions in human hand movements , 2004, Biological Cybernetics.

[5]  T. Maiman.  Stimulated Optical Radiation in Ruby , 1960, Nature.

[6]  Hermann Haken,et al.  Oscillations in the Perception of Ambiguous Patterns , 1991 .

[7]  J. Kelso,et al.  Nonequilibrium phase transitions in coordinated biological motion: critical fluctuations , 1986 .

[8]  Wolfgang Weidlich,et al.  Sociodynamics: a Systematic Approach to Mathematical Modelling in the Social Sciences , 2000 .

[9]  H. Haken,et al.  Pattern recognition and associative memory as dynamical processes in a synergetic system , 1988, Biological Cybernetics.

[10]  A. Opstal.  Dynamic Patterns: The Self-Organization of Brain and Behavior , 1995 .

[11]  H. Haken,et al.  Synergetic Agents: From Multi-Robot Systems to Molecular Robotics , 2012 .

[12]  Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Hermann Haken,et al.  Synergetic Computers and Cognition , 1991, Springer Series in Synergetics.

[13]  M. Eigen,et al.  The Hypercycle: A principle of natural self-organization , 2009 .

[14]  W. Köhler.  Die physischen Gestalten in Ruhe und im stationären Zustand : eine naturphilosophische Untersuchung , 1920 .

[15]  H. Haken,et al.  Oscillations in the perception of ambiguous patterns a model based on synergetics , 1989, Biological Cybernetics.

[16]  M. Eigen.  Selforganization of matter and the evolution of biological macromolecules , 1971, Naturwissenschaften.

[17]  Kristina Lerman,et al.  Experiments on three systems with non-variational aspects , 1992 .

[18]  W. Singer,et al.  Stimulus-specific neuronal oscillations in orientation columns of cat visual cortex. , 1989, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[19]  Hermann Haken,et al.  Synergetik — die Lehre vom Zusammenwirken , 1989 .

[20]  H. Haken.  A nonlinear theory of laser noise and coherence. II , 1964 .

[21]  J. C. Robinson,et al.  Finite-dimensional behavior in dissipative partial differential equations. , 1995, Chaos.

[22]  H. Haken,et al.  Synergetic Computers for Pattern Recognition and Associative Memory , 1987 .

[23]  J J Hopfield,et al.  Neural networks and physical systems with emergent collective computational abilities. , 1982, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[24]  R. Eckhorn,et al.  Coherent oscillations: A mechanism of feature linking in the visual cortex? , 1988, Biological Cybernetics.

[25]  Massimo Riani,et al.  Effects of Visual Angle on Perspective Reversal for Ambiguous Patterns , 1982, Perception.

[26]  L. Bertalanffy,et al.  Biophysik des Fließgleichgewichts , 1953 .

[27]  A nonlinear theory of laser noise and coherence. II , 1964 .

[28]  A. Borsellino,et al.  Reversal time distribution in the perception of visual ambiguous stimuli , 1972, Kybernetik.

[29]  Hermann Haken,et al.  Advanced Topics: Instability Hierarchies of Self-Organization Systems and Devices , 2004 .

[30]  Arnold J. Mandell,et al.  Synergetics of the Brain , 1983 .

[31]  Hermann Haken.  Principles of Brain Functioning: A Synergetic Approach to Brain Activity, Behavior and Cognition , 2012 .

[32]  Hermann Haken,et al.  An Introduction: Nonequilibrium Phase Transitions and Self-Organization in Physics, Chemistry and Biology , 2004 .

[33]  L. Bertalanffy.  The theory of open systems in physics and biology. , 1950 .

[34]  H. Haken.  Advanced Synergetics: Instability Hierarchies of Self-Organizing Systems and Devices , 1983 .