In each minicolumn, multiple neurons respond to the same input pattern. They are like the runners on the starting line, all waiting for the same signal. If their preferred input arrives, they all want to start spiking. However, if one or more of the neurons are in the predictive state, our theory says, only those neurons spike and the other neurons are inhibited. Thus, when an input arrives that is unexpected, multiple neurons fire at once. If the input is predicted, then only the predictive-state neurons become active. This is a common observation about the neocortex: unexpected inputs cause
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