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Reflections on a giant of brain science

How lucky we are having Walter J. Freeman as our beacon in cognitive neurodynamics research

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Abstract

Walter J. Freeman was a giant of the field of neuroscience whose visionary work contributed various experimental and theoretical breakthroughs to brain research in the past 60 years. He has pioneered a number of Electroencephalogram and Electrocorticogram tools and approaches that shaped the field, while “Freeman Neurodynamics” is a theoretical concept that is widely known, used, and respected among neuroscientists all over the world. His recent death is a profound loss to neuroscience and biomedical engineering. Many of his revolutionary ideas on brain dynamics have been ahead of their time by decades. We summarize his following groundbreaking achievements: (1) Mass Action in the Nervous System, from microscopic (single cell) recordings, through mesoscopic populations, to large-scale collective brain patterns underlying cognition; (2) Freeman–Kachalsky model of multi-scale, modular brain dynamics; (3) cinematic theory of cognitive dynamics; (4) phase transitions in cortical dynamics modeled with random graphs and quantum field theory; (5) philosophical aspects of intentionality, consciousness, and the unity of brain–mind–body. His work has been admired by many of his neuroscientist colleagues and followers. At the same time, his multidisciplinary approach combining advanced concepts of control theory and the mathematics of nonlinear systems and chaos, poses significant challenges to those who wish to thoroughly understand his message. The goal of this commemorative paper is to review key aspects of Freeman’s neurodynamics and to provide some handles to gain better understanding about Freeman’s extraordinary intellectual achievement.

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Acknowledgments

This review covers the extensive collective work, which involves Walter Freeman’s collaborators. I was fortunate to work and interact with many of them, and I appreciate all their support through those years. This work has been supported in part by Grant NSF-DMS-13-11165.

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  1. Department of Mathematics, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA

    Robert Kozma

  2. Department of Computer Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    Robert Kozma

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Kozma, R. Reflections on a giant of brain science. Cogn Neurodyn 10, 457–469 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11571-016-9403-3

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