Does neural computation feel like something?
Frontiers in neuroscience January 1, 2025 Albert Gidon, Jaan Aru, Matthew E. Larkum 1 citation
Simulating a simple computation in an artificial neural network, researchers recorded neuron activity during visual stimulation and replayed those signals back into the same neurons. This replay degraded the computation by erasing counterfactual activity patterns—alternative neural states that could have occurred—while leaving ongoing brain activity unchanged. This outcome reveals a disconnect between neural activity and computational structure, challenging the computational functionalist view that consciousness emerges from the right computations, whether in machines or biological brains.