<p>I believe I understand the natural path, in which stimuli appear and by neural plasticity our brains &quot;learn&quot; these stimuli.</p>
<p>I recently learned about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_brain_stimulation" rel="nofollow noreferrer">electrical brain stimulation</a> and I was wondering what is the mechanism that allows the brain to take these stimulated/activated neurons, and either convert them to, or detect which original stimuli shaped them. Whether it was an <a href="https://www.latimes.com/health/la-xpm-2011-oct-10-la-heb-prosthetic-eyes-blind-20111010-story.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">image</a>, a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763416306820" rel="nofollow noreferrer">memory</a>, or some other stimuli that shaped them. That is, the &quot;reverse&quot; way of the natural path.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-29T14:57:31.683Z
I don't understand the question, I'm sorry. Why and how would a brain 'take and convert' neurons? Those are mechanical actions? Why would a brain care to find out what original stimuli shaped neurons when an electrical stimulus zaps them? How does a stimulus 'shape' a neuron in the first place (do you mean plasticity perhaps, or learning processes)?
AliceD
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-29T15:19:48.707Z
@AliceD I really appreciate the help! And yes, by "shape" I meant plasticity. I can edit that! In regards to the question, I'm doing a bad job at trying to ask for the reverse process of plasticity. That is, how does the brain (and I know it's all automatic so it's not really the brain. Just not sure how to ask that) takes these activated neurons, and outputs the original input (image/ memory/ etc). Does this makes more sense?
Penguin
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-29T16:10:26.933Z
Yep, starts to make sense, you basically are asking why a neuron's effects can stay the same, whereas the input is so different? Say, why does neuron in the motor cortex still evokes a muscle twitch with TMS while the input is so different from the physiological one?
AliceD
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-29T16:46:55.300Z
@AliceD Precisely. I'm not too familiar with the motor cortex so I was going about images/memories, but I believe we are talking about the same thing. Basically, why the effects stay the same when the input is so different, and how the effects can be activated (in muscles I suppose it's automatic, like a muscle twitch? but in images do the activated neurons go back to the visual cortex to represent the effect and allow us the "see" the image/"think" about the induced memory?)
Penguin
<neuroscience><brain>
How does the brain interpret electrical brain stimulation?
Penguin
# How does the brain interpret electrical brain stimulation?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-12-29)

I believe I understand the natural path, in which stimuli appear and by neural plasticity our brains "learn" these stimuli.

I recently learned about [electrical brain stimulation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_brain_stimulation) and I was wondering what is the mechanism that allows the brain to take these stimulated/activated neurons, and either convert them to, or detect which original stimuli shaped them. Whether it was an [image](https://www.latimes.com/health/la-xpm-2011-oct-10-la-heb-prosthetic-eyes-blind-20111010-story.html), a [memory](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763416306820), or some other stimuli that shaped them. That is, the "reverse" way of the natural path.

**Tags:** neuroscience, brain

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I don't understand the question, I'm sorry. Why and how would a brain 'take and convert' neurons? Those are mechanical actions? Why would a brain care to find out what original stimuli shaped neurons when an electrical stimulus zaps them? How does a stimulus 'shape' a neuron in the first place (do you mean plasticity perhaps, or learning processes)?  
> **username_0**: @username_1 I really appreciate the help! And yes, by "shape" I meant plasticity. I can edit that! In regards to the question, I'm doing a bad job at trying to ask for the reverse process of plasticity. That is, how does the brain (and I know it's all automatic so it's not really the brain. Just not sure how to ask that) takes these activated neurons, and outputs the original input (image/ memory/ etc). Does this makes more sense?  
> **username_1**: Yep, starts to make sense, you basically are asking why a neuron's effects can stay the same, whereas the input is so different? Say, why does neuron in the motor cortex still evokes a muscle twitch with TMS while the input is so different from the physiological one?  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Precisely. I'm not too familiar with the motor cortex so I was going about images/memories, but I believe we are talking about the same thing. Basically, why the effects stay the same when the input is so different, and how the effects can be activated (in muscles I suppose it's automatic, like a muscle twitch? but in images do the activated neurons go back to the visual cortex to represent the effect and allow us the "see" the image/"think" about the induced memory?)  

---

## 0 answers

