Brain Inspired BI 237 Ehud Ahissar: Consciousness and Perceptual Dualism
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May 6, 2026 Ehud Ahissar, neuroscientist who leads the Ahissar Lab at the Weizmann Institute, explores perceptual dualism. He contrasts digital brain–brain communication with analog brain–world interaction. He explains how nested sensorimotor loops, attractors, language and active sensing shape these two modes. He also touches on meditation, psychedelics, evolution of language, and implications for AI and society.
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From Engineering To Whisker Driven Active Sensing
- Ehud's shift from engineering to neuroscience began when oscillatory cortical cells he recorded made him palpate his car dashboard to test active sensing ideas.
- That palpation insight motivated studying temporal coding and led to using whiskers for rhythmic active sensing experiments.
Perception Is Loops Stacked Across Evolution
- Sensory processing is organized as nested, continuously operating sensorimotor loops rather than a one-way feedforward pipeline.
- Evolution stacked loops from brainstem up to cortex; none are simply shut off during perception.
Why Language Is A Digital Convention Over Analog Perception
- BB signals (words/phonemes) are discrete and categorical; BW signals are analog and continuous, so humans translate between the two via conventions.
- Conventions let us reliably name attractors (e.g., "chair") even though sensory dynamics remain analog.