Models and musings about them

Theories of brain function abound, and they range from Aristotle's idea that it cools the blood to the most recent conclusions deduced from fMRI scans. Today, such ideas, theories and constructs are often called models, the best of which blend the writer's laboratory data with what he or she has culled from the experiments others report. A model can therefore be viewed as the product of a unique collection of intellectual encounters with teachers-some living, some dead-at lectures and in libraries to which have been added countless unique personal experiences during experiments performed in laboratories. This essay describes some of the models I have published, naming the places where the experiments were done and some of the teachers from whom I learned what I know.