Abstract
This chapter dwells on the high-order neural processing that underlies the emergence of the mind. We discuss the operation of microcircuits, such as neurons in different laminae of cortical columns, modular networks composed of microcircuits, and the hubs of the brain’s connectome. We show how the integration of information by distributed networks of neurons generates engrams, cognitive functions, and complex mental sequences, such as the perception-to-action cycle. The mind is considered to be the product of the integration of perceptual prefrontal cortical signals processed in supra-granular cortical layers, action-related information represented in infra-granular layers, and reward signals originating in the midbrain. The cortical modules and their microcircuits are described as building blocks of this complex neural circuitry that performs hierarchical processing. We emphasize the importance of bidirectional information flow in cortico-cortical and thalamo-cortical loops, which integrate bottom-up and top-down communications between the brain areas.
