We are feature detectors  Paul Bush paul at phy.ucsf.edu Tue Apr
30 21:16:29 EST 1996  This is more on my hypothesis that the
sole function of the cerebral cortex is to construct a model of
the world. It has a new added ingredient - testable predictions!
You will get the most out of this if you have read my two
previous posts on the subject, since I am not going to re-
present the same details, and I am going to refer to previously
made points.  I assert that the cortex does not 'compute'
anything beyond higher and higher order correlations over
successively abstracted features. A feature is any space/time
invariance in the Universe detectable by us and behaviorally
relevant.   The ultimate determination of behavioral relevance
is made by the basal ganglia (BG), since they integrate total
cortical output and then feedback to assign the correct 'plan of
action/perception' on the frontal cortex. Mark Laubach (an
active researcher in the BG system) views the "activation of a
spiny cell [in the striatum of the BG