# Cajal’s legacy in the digital era: from neuroscience foundations to deep learning

**Authors:** Marcos García-Lorenzo, Oscar Herreras, Javier DeFelipe

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2025.1672016 · Frontiers in Neuroanatomy · 2025-10-15

## TL;DR

This paper explores how Cajal's neuroscience discoveries continue to influence modern AI and deep learning.

## Contribution

It highlights the enduring impact of Cajal's neuron theory and insights on artificial neural network design.

## Key findings

- Cajal's neuron theory shaped modern neuroscience and AI.
- Dynamic polarization and brain plasticity concepts influence neural network design.
- The paper emphasizes ongoing neuroscience-machine learning connections.

## Abstract

Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s pioneering work laid the foundations for modern neuroscience and continues to impact the development of artificial intelligence, particularly deep learning. His neuron theory, the principle of dynamic polarization, and his insights into brain plasticity and network organization have significantly influenced both our understanding of the nervous system and the design of artificial neural networks. This article reviews Cajal’s key contributions, explores their role in the evolution of AI, and emphasizes the enduring links between neuroscience and machine learning in the digital era.

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** DL (MESH:D007859), AI (MESH:C538142)
- **Chemicals:** reazione (-)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

4 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12568619/full.md

## References

75 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12568619/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12568619