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Solution of the Problem of Central Pattern Generators and a New Concept of Brain Functions

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Neurophysiology Aims and scope

A new concept of brain functions is proposed. According to it, the brain is a hierarchy of neural optimal control systems where each level possesses a dynamic model of its controlled object; this can be a lower control level in the CNS or an executive organ. The new concept of brain functions is based on the solution of the problem of central pattern generators and on the neural network computational principle. Contemporary data on the cerebellum, cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loops (the structural/functional basis of the highest brain levels), Parkinson’s disease, and methods of its treatment (including deep brain stimulation) are analyzed from the point of view of the new concept of brain functions. These examples demonstrate the universal applicability of the new concept in the investigation of the physiology and pathophysiology of neural networks and the respective clinical effects.

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  1. St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

    K. V. Baev

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Baev, K.V. Solution of the Problem of Central Pattern Generators and a New Concept of Brain Functions. Neurophysiology 44, 414–432 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11062-012-9313-x

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