Principles of Intelligence: On Evolutionary Logic of the Brain

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• The brain must process vast, uncertain information from diverse experiences.
• Understanding the brain's fundamental organizational and computational logic is a key challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the Theory of Connectivity as a unified principle for brain organization.
• To define the functional connectivity motif (FCM) as the brain's microcircuit building block.
• To propose a mathematical framework (N = 2^i - 1) for understanding neural computation.

Main Methods:

• The theory posits a "power-of-two" based operational principle for neural organization.
• Functional connectivity motifs (FCMs) are defined as microcircuit building blocks.
• Validation requires demonstrating anatomical prevalence, species conservancy, and cognitive universality of FCMs.

Main Results:

• FCMs are proposed as evolutionarily conserved, innate computational primitives.
• The theory explains the general purpose of the layered cortex.
• It offers a unified wiring and computational logic for cell assemblies.

Conclusions:

• The Theory of Connectivity provides a unifying framework for understanding brain architecture and computation.
• FCMs, as predicted by the theory, are fundamental to processing diverse cognitive experiences and behaviors.
• This principle offers insights into innate neural structures and their role in intelligence.