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Spontaneous symmetry breaking in large scale nervous activity
Author(s) -
Cowan Jack D.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
international journal of quantum chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.484
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1097-461X
pISSN - 0020-7608
DOI - 10.1002/qua.560220518
Subject(s) - symmetry breaking , instability , spontaneous symmetry breaking , neuroscience , symmetry (geometry) , physics , homogeneous , action (physics) , psychology , statistical physics , mechanics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , geometry
A theory is outlined of the nature and origin of drug‐induced visual hallucination patterns. It is shown that such patterns correspond to blobs or stripes of visual neo‐cortical activity. A neuronal circuit is described that generates such patterns whenever its homogeneous resting state becomes unstable. Such a process is shown to be an example of spontaneous symmetry‐breaking, similar to that occurring in electro‐weak interactions, and in fluid convection. It is suggested that the neuronal instability is produced by the action of hallucinogens on monoamine secreting brain‐stem neurons.