Remi Cote 220196.1615 Montreal
In B:CP (p.83) there is a drawing of a first-order control system.
The comparator is the spinal motor neurone cell-body. The reference
signal is incoming from the top from another axon. It is represented
with a + sign (my guess is that it is a kind of activator). The Golgi
tendon receptor give an input to the same comparator (represented by
a - (minus)). If there is more (+) than (-) in the motor neurone cell
body, there is a firing of this neurone.
I guess this is the basic. Do I understand it well? That is the question
REMI
<[Bill Leach 960123.00:14 U.S. Eastern Time Zone]
Remi Cote 220196.1615 Montreal
I guess this is the basic. Do I understand it well? That is the question
Yes, it appears that you understand correctly.
A simple "comparitor" is a essentially a "subtractor". In the case for
neural comparitors they behave much like a arithmetic subtractor that
deals only with positive numbers.
The (-) signal value is subtracted from the (+) signal value and the
result is the (error) or difference signal which is the neuron's output.
Since the neuron can not "fire" at a rate of less that zero firing per
(any) unit of time a situation where the magnitude of the (-) signal is
greater than that of the (+) signal still results in zero output (no
firings of the neuron).
-bill