Binding Problem

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Processing in neuronal systems is generally accepted to occur in parallel (see PARALLEL VS. SERIAL PROCESSING) and to be distributed (see DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING). A complex visual image, for example, will be processed by many neurons over a wide area of tissue. The question of how the various processes that operate on a single stimulus are reintegrated to form a coherent REPRESENTATION is referred to as the binding problem.

The idea that single units encode specific complex stimuli is considered implausible. While specific neurons can encode specific stimulus elements (see FEATURE DETECTOR), complex element such as faces (see FACE PERCEPTION) are not coded by individual neurons (see GRANDMOTHER CELL). Explanations for the binding problem are generally sought in various neural coding mechanisms, the synchronization or patterning of neuronal firing for example.

See also: labelled-line theory; neural coding; pattern perception

Singer W. (1996) Neuronal synchronization: a solution to the binding problem? In The Mind-Brain Continuum: Sensory Processes, ed. R.Llinás & P.S.Churchland, pp. 101–130, MIT Press: Cambridge MA.

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