Neuronal noise as a physical resource for human cognition

TL;DR

This paper proposes that neuronal noise is a beneficial physical resource, enabling the human brain to function as an energy-efficient hybrid probabilistic-deterministic system that supports intuition and creativity.

Contribution

It introduces the idea that neuronal noise is a constructive element in brain computation, challenging the view of noise as merely a hindrance.

Findings

Neuronal noise can be viewed as a physical resource for cognition.

The human brain operates as a hybrid probabilistic-deterministic system.

This perspective has implications for energy-efficient brain emulation.

Abstract

A new class of energy-efficient digital microprocessor is being developed which is susceptible to thermal noise and consequently operates in probabilistic rather than conventional deterministic mode. Hybrid computing systems which combine probabilistic and deterministic processors can provide robust and efficient tools for computational problems that hitherto would be intractable by conventional deterministic algorithm. These developments suggest a revised perspective on the consequences of ion-channel noise in slender axons, often regarded as a hindrance to neuronal computations. It is proposed that the human brain is such an energy-efficient hybrid computational system whose remarkable characteristics emerge from constructive synergies between probabilistic and deterministic modes of operation. In particular, the capacity for intuition and creative problem solving appears to arise naturally from such a hybrid system. Bearing in mind that physical thermal noise is both pure and available at no cost, our proposal has implications for attempts to emulate the energy-efficient human brain on conventional energy-intensive deterministic supercomputers.