Science Frontiers ONLINE No. 47: Sep-Oct 1986 Issue Contents

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Brain architecture: beyond genes

"The human brain probably contains more than 10¹⁴ synapses, and there are simply not enough genes to account for this complexity." ...."Neuroscientists at a recent meeting highlighted how extragenetic factors -- including neuronal activity, contact with other cells, radiation, and chemical factors -- influence brain circuitry, especially during development."

In computer terms, our brains are constantly reprogramming themselves in response to internal and external forces.

(Barnes, Deborah M.; "Brain Architecture: Beyond Genes," Science, 233: 155, 1986.)

Comment. Musing in a Lamarckian way, can the brain, as reprogrammed by external influences, ever feed back information to the genes?

From Science Frontiers #47, SEP-OCT 1986. � 1986-2000 William R. Corliss

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