INTRODUCTION

This site is dedicated to providing a detailed description of the neural system of animals.  It employs a new electrolytic paradigm that replaces the chemical concept employed under the old paradigm.

The old paradigm of the neural system based primarily on chemical mechanisms is no longer tenable.  While the dominant paradigm during the last half of the 20th Century, neuroscience has been held back through reliance on this concept.  The primary signaling functions within the neural system are based on its electrolytic character.  (Electrolytic = involving the transfer of electrical charge in a liquid environment.)  This fact constitutes the new paradigm, and is highlighted by the logo of this website.  It is only the secondary functions, providing electrical power to the electrolytic circuits, that are fundamentally chemical in nature.  It is these secondary functions, based heavily on stereochemistry, cellular surface physical chemistry and the permeabilitiy of the matrix surrounding the neurons that provide control of the neural processes.

This 21st Century electrolytic paradigm has proven extremely successful.  Its success, particularly in describing the visual and auditory system of humans, overshadows any criticism generated within the context of the old paradigm.  Several recent medical breakthroughs could not have been achieved in the absence of this new paradigm.  The current understanding of the operation of the central nervous system, in both the visual and auditory contexts, would not be available without this new paradigm.

A particularly intriguing success has been the elucidation of the complete echolocation system of the bottlenosed dolphin. This new understanding has provided new insights into the teaching of blind children in their intrinsic auditory echolocation capabilities.

The theory and descriptions of the neural system to be presented here, based on the new 21st Century paradigm, is quite extensive. To manage the volume of material to be considered, the site has been subdivided into four major sites:

1. THIS PART which focuses on the neuron as a component and its use in neural circuits in general.



2. VISION CONCEPTS  A site dedicated to the description of the visual sensory input to, and the related data extraction by, the overall neural system.



3. HEARING CONCEPTS  A site dedicated to the description of the hearing sensory input to, and the related data extraction by, the overall neural system.



4. OLFACTORY CONCEPTS A site dedicated to the description of the sensory systems of taste and smell and the method of processing this data within the neural system.

In developing the theory presented here, it was found that there was no satisfactory treatise on the BASIS OF THE NEURAL SYSTEM. The main work was stymied by this situation. The state of the neuroscience literature was found so inadequate in 1995 that a diversion was necessary. This diversion resulted in the publication of two new books:

• "Biological Vision: A 21st Century Tutorial" on the detailed operation of the human visual system. It is accompanied by a more extensive text on the internet, "Processes in Biological Vision."
• "Hearing: A 21st Century Paradigm," A single extensive volume on the operation of the human hearing system. Even this volume is supplemented by two additional chapters available on the internet.

Background on this site

The portion of this site related to the more general aspects of the neuron is still under development. However, extensive discussions of the neuron have been provided in Chapter 4 of the visual sensory site and Chapter 3 of the hearing sensory site.

The development of this site is being carried out in parallel with the development of the new text, "The Neuron: A 21st Century Paradigm." However, the expansion in academic activity and academic inquiries based on the two previous books has resulted in a significant diversion of the authors focus from this third text.

Two fundamental finding and one major discovery related to the neuron have resulted from the overall effort:

• The morphologically defined neuron is not the fundamental element of the neural system from a functional perspective.



• The functional aspects of the neural system are entirely electrolytic in operation.
  
  
  • The chemical transport of simple ions, or heavy molecules, at the synapse separating neurons does not play a role in the signaling function of the neural system.

Discovery of the ACTIVA

The discovery of the active electrolytic semiconductor device, the Activa™, provided the key to the understanding of the operation of the neuron and the rest of the neural system. It placed the functional role of the various morphological and cytological structures in proper perspective and provided the correct interpretation of the operational phenomena involved.

The Activa is a unique biologically based structure that exhibits "transistor action" The term "transistor action" is a term in the Patent lexicon to define a unique quantum mechanical mechanism. The Activa, US Patent #5,946,185, is the electrolytic (biological) equivalent of the man-made transistor.

PART C ELECTROCHEMISTRY OF THE NEURON

Because of the unexpected success of this analysis, there has been considerable spill-over of new knowledge related to the cortical portion of the neural system. To tabulate this material in a preliminary manner, a Chapter 15 of PART D has been introduced to discuss the Higher Level Perceptual Functions.

The theory presented here is far more complete and mathematically rigorous than any other presented to date. It takes issue with many concepts that have become dogma over the years through indiscriminate repetition in textbooks and journal articles. Many of these poorly defined dogmatic positions are compared with a more explicit position based on the theory.

MAJOR CONCEPTUAL CHANGES

The main work introduces three major paradigm shifts affecting concepts held true for the last 50 years, a super extended period considering the rate of changes in other scientific technologies. The second shift redefines the fundamental nature of the neuron. It calls for a extending the Neuron Doctrine of Cajol beyond the realm of morphology to include electrophysiology.

A restated Neuron Doctrine [10.8.1]

• The neuron is the fundamental biologically sustainable unit of the nervous system. It is the minimum viable cellular structure.



• Each neuron contains one or more fundamental functional (signaling) units internally and one or more external fundamental units connecting it to an orthodromic structure.



• Each fundamental functional unit consists of an active electrolytic semiconductor device, an Activa, supported by its peripheral electrolytic components.

Although the PARADIGM SHIFT related to the neuron is completely supported by the data in the literature, it is so significant that most of the hypotheses found in journal material must be considered obsolete until they are reinterpreted. Most neuron related hypotheses in current textbooks must also be considered obsolete. The PARADIGM SHIFTS, AS A GROUP, lead to a larger set of FUNDAMENTAL PREMISES that form the foundation of this work. The basic shift related to the neuron also leads to an entirely new description of the cytology and function of the specialized photoreceptor cell of the neural system.

One premise that is fully documented in Chapter 8 [8.7]is that all known synapses are electrolytic in origin and contain an Activa.

If the reader accepts the above premises and the shifts in thinking described, it is suggested that he will be amply rewarded. Many previously undefined phenomena become quantifiable and a large group of new performance descriptors become available. The descriptors are able to describe the vision process and the neural system to a totally new degree of accuracy and precision.