Temporal competition as an optimal parallel processing of the cerebrohypothalamic system

Cortical processing which makes responses in a few hundred milliseconds using neurons firing at less than 50 Hz is analyzed. A mathematical model is presented to show the cortical computational architecture using a few spikes of each neuron. The cortex is represented by a sequence of areas. Each area consists of cortical columns. The columns include pyramidal cells and interneurons laterally inhibiting the cells. Membrane characteristics are given by the Hodgkin-Huxley electric circuit. Analysis of the model shows that populations of the cells encode the strength of the synaptic input into a response delay of the millisecond scale in firing ratio of the cells, even though they suffer noise and partial damage, so that the lateral inhibition in every area produces an optimal parallel processing of temporal competition where columns compete to respond faster and to escape from the inhibition. Cortical plasticity regulated by the hypothalamic reward system reinforces synaptic efficacy of connections between areas so that the competition may lead activation of sensory cortex to mononeurons producing rewarding movement