Figure 4.

Isomorphism between neural bioelectricity and preneural (developmental) bioelectricity. (A) Neural cells compute by forming networks in which each cell can use ion channels to establish a specific resting potential and selectively communicate it to connected neighbors through electrical synapses known as gap junctions. (B) Neural dynamics are actually a speed-optimized variant of a much more ancient system. All cells use ion channels, and most cells form electrical connections with their neighbors. (C) In the brain, DNA-specified ion channel hardware in neurons enables bioelectric computation, a kind of software that can be impacted by experiences (stimuli). By enabling fast communication over long distances, the synaptic architecture depicted in (A) enables the brain to control the physiological dynamics of muscle cells and hence move the body in three dimensions. (D) Prior to the development of specialized, high-speed neurons, preneural bioelectric networks exploited the same architecture of physiological software implemented by the same ion channel hardware. The information-processing and memory features of bioelectrical networks were used to control the movement of the body configuration through the morphospace by controlling cell behaviors [104,137]. Images by Jeremy Guay of Peregrine Creative.