Neural computing ideas and biological terms

[Craig Stuart Niederberger]

With regards to Jim Bower's complaint:

> >From a recent posting:
> 
>  "The audio synthesizer is built around an integrated-circuit
>  chip from Intel Corporation in Santa Clara, California. The
>  chip, called the Intel 80170NX electrically trainable analog
>  neural network (ETANN), simulates the function of nerve
>  cells in a biological brain."
> 
> Unlikely in that we don't yet know how nerve cells in a biological
> brain function.  Is it really necessary many years (now)
> into neural net research to continue to lean on the brain for
> moral support?
> 
> Sorry to retorically beat a dead horse, but statements like this
> are annoying to those of us whose primary interest is to understand
> how the brain works.  They also still occur far to frequently 
> especially in association with products.
> 

Technically, I agree that a rather large schism exists between the
unknowns of neurophysiology and the creative endeavors of neural
computing.  However, I disagree with the contention that "leaning
on the brain for moral support" is necessarily bad.  I have been applying
neural computational models to analyze clinical data, and have found it
at times difficult to communicate the significance of these models to my
frequently non-mathematically oriented colleagues.  Often, I have resorted
to explanations that are couched in biological terms rather than mathematical
ones, with the opinion that it is better to communicate something rather
than nothing at all.  Perhaps the focus should be to try to bring more
investigators into the fold.  Not only do new investigators yield new
research and new ideas, but funding from these quarters will follow as
well.

Craig Niederberger

 ___________________________________________________________________________
|                                                                           |
| Craig Niederberger M.D.           Internet EMAIL: craign at mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu |
| Department of Urology, Room 440E  US Phone: 713-798-7267                  |
| Baylor College of Medicine             FAX: 713-798-5577                  |
| One Baylor Plaza                   [o  o]  [+  +]  [o  o]  [+  +]  [o  o] |
| Houston, Texas 77030-3498 USA      [<-->]  [ -- ]  [ == ]  [<-->]  [ ^^ ] |
|___________________________________________________________________________|