An engram (memory trace) can be retrieved in milliseconds, e.g., facial recognition. The excitation runs through many neurons with divergence and convergence. There is no time for analysis. The course of the excitation is predetermined. The railway model can help to understand this:

A train travels from Rostock to Munich. What determines the route? Answer: The (temporarily) set points along the entire route. It is not the points at Leipzig station that decide, but all the points along the route. The train driver simply sets off and is guided by the set points as if by magic to his destination, the terminus. If a point is set somewhere else, the train ends up in Stuttgart instead of Munich. Every single point has its (small) part to play. So the route is stored in the entire rail network! It is not enough to know the points at Leipzig station (= structurally visible center).

1. In the brain, stimuli constantly race along predefined pathways. These usually begin at the receptors and end at the effector organs. The receptor simply fires, not knowing where the pathway ends. As in the railway model, the path is determined by synaptic connections. Each individual synapse plays its small part.
2. Where the trains go, i.e., where they arrive, is determined by the switches. In the brain, these switches mainly correspond to the synapses. The train driver does not need to know the destination. Nevertheless, the train ends up in Munich.
3. Several trains cross each other or use the same railway line on certain sections. The latter is efficient.
4. If trains are on a collision course, they have to wait (e.g., stop signal—in the brain, this is called inhibition) and can only continue their journey later.
5. After a main train has passed, regional trains run. Everything is interconnected. But not randomly, rather in a complex order.
6. If there is high demand, several trains run one after the other, the route is expanded, etc.
7. With little effort, a switch is changed, and the train travels in a completely different direction. A switch can decide whether the train goes to Munich or Stuttgart. The effort required to change the switch is minimal.
8. Without an analysis center, the train reaches its destination. The brain also has no time for decisions. The excitation simply races along the pre-set tracks. This makes it possible to make a decision in milliseconds. If there were an analysis center in between, similar to a computer, the decision would take time.
9. If a train station (e.g., Leipzig station) were destroyed, a number of trains would currently be unable to reach their destination. But then they would be rerouted and another route would be built. The trains would now travel via Gera. The rail network would be functioning again. Some trains would take detours. For example, Erfurt can be reached from Plauen via Leipzig. This corresponds to a detour of approximately 100 km.
10. The rail network has its own history and changes affect many routes. In the brain, too, many excitation pathways run awkwardly to their destination.
11. If a train line is changed (departure time, route), this also has an impact on the branch lines. There, too, departure times must be changed for reasons of efficiency. Changing one line compromises the efficiency of the network. Improvements are needed. And here is another important point: this only becomes apparent when the trains are running. It is only through activity that errors become visible and can be corrected. It takes time for everything to function optimally again.
12. Trains run on rails and switches. So the rails and switches determine everything. This is wrong. The success of the trains is primary. The demand for trains determines the route and the setting of the switches. The system is rebuilt accordingly.
13. Engrams cannot be stored in individual neurons (keyword: grandmother neuron). A single neuron has too few synaptic inputs.

Neurons are nourished by astrocytes. This is quite a complicated process. One astrocyte supplies several neurons, and several astrocytes dock onto the neuron. If one neuron consumes a lot, the other neurons supplied have less, at least temporarily. The astrocyte registers the needs of the neurons it supplies. The astrocytes dock onto the neuron in a very specific way. Thesis: It is not the entire neuron that is nourished, but individual flow equilibria within the neuron.

A dynamic equilibrium works optimally in a stable state (the “status quo”). Upward deviations (e.g., an accumulation of substances due to underuse relative to the status quo) lead to congestion, while downward deviations (overuse) cause depletion. Both can disrupt the function of the connectome fiber.

1. In order for information processing to be possible at all, the steady states in the neurons must work precisely. Simply “firing” or “not firing” to compensate is not a solution – that would disrupt stimulus processing.
2. With the multitude of connectome fibers and possible actions, only a small portion reaches the target organ. The vast majority of fibers are inhibited. A system of flow equilibria has a problem. How can congestion and depletion be balanced?
3. In the case of depletion, raise the stimulus threshold. Keyword: fatigue. In the case of congestion, lower the stimulus threshold. It is well known that stimulus thresholds vary.
4. The longer the activity lasts, the more congestion and depletion are to be expected.
   The sleep phases offer a solution. Stimulation thresholds are lowered. Neurons can fire without corresponding input stimuli. Excitations propagate along pre-existing connectome fibers. Fragments of engrams are activated by this firing. Outward motor activity is inhibited. Thus, the neurons can operate without damage. During deep sleep, depleted fibers recover. REM sleep helps to reduce congestion. The sleep phases reflect the respective activity required to restore the status quo. It is an alternation between reducing congestion and recovering from depletion.

I can assure you that the above thoughts are my own. The other function arose from contradictions I experienced in area thinking (reason here, emotion there). Every engram, every ability generates feelings. Psychic activity is generated across and not in local areas. This rethinking began in 1976 in Bad Langensalza (Thuringia). The term “Straktur” was proposed in 1983 by Prof. Armin Ermisch, a brain researcher in Leipzig. Locally delimitable structures are not immediately functional parts. Hence the new term Straktur. In 1976, there was still no mention of network structure (connectome). The logical conclusions from the new structure are immense, e.g., letter from Dr. Lothar Sprung. The thesis on the actual function of astrocytes is only a small part of it. Known knowledge is being rearranged like a puzzle.

Graduate mathematician Stefan Pschera
Bahnhofstr. 6
DE-08258 Markneukirchen OT Erlbach
Copying rights belong to the author.
Email to info@straktur.de
more in german