Questions about Mini-Columns

[JamesLikesBrains]

A few questions about mini-columns:

1. Are all mini-columns the same?
2. Is a single mini-column considered a column of neurons in a single cortical column layer or is a single mini-column span all layers?
3. Is there a fundamental role/function that all mini-columns do?

[Falco]

According to Numenta (unless I misunderstood):

1. No, but the differences are minor.
2. The minicolumn spans all layers.
3. Here I’m not sure, but I think the question is important. This is what I think. All minicolumns do:

• receive input
• normalise input through a spacial pooler
• detect sequences through a temporal memory
• compare states through voting with neighboring minicolumns
• project outputs to the thalamus
• project outputs to neighboring columns in the same layer
• project outputs to cells in other layers
• project outputs to cells in other maps of the neocortex

If someone spots errors, please please correct me.

[Bitking]

What is the Basic Cortical Column Computation?

I struggle to pin down exactly what it is that a macro-column is doing; there is a lot going on here. Pattern matching (by pattern recall) Novelty detection (by pattern recall mismatch) Pattern learning (by novelty triggering learning) Anomaly signaling (by sequence mismatch mechanism) Sequence learning (by anomaly signal triggering learning) Prediction (by sequence learning) “Memory” (by the collective action of these mechanisms?) So we add these ensemble macro behaviors: Classifier (by pa…

[Casey]

@Falco

The minicolumn spans all layers.

They’re not sure, I think.

This might show different minicolumns in two sublayers of the same layer. From what I remember, I’m not 100% convinced.
Lattice system of functionally distinct cell types in the neocortex

@JamesLikesBrains

Is there a fundamental role/function that all mini-columns do?

Functionally, a minicolumn is just a group of cells which represent the same thing, and probably each have something else (context) so there’s a purpose having multiple cells. There could be things which aren’t physically organized like minicolumns but function the same.