From single neuron-firing to consciousness--towards the true solution of the binding problem

Abstract

The human brain consists of millions of neural nerve cells being interconnected and firing in parallel in order to process information. A fundamental question is how this parallel neuron-firing can result in a unified experience. This is the so-called binding problem--a problem that is one of today's key questions about brain function and that has puzzled researchers for decades. This article gives a review about the last 50 years of research in this area. It explains what the binding problem is, what classes of binding problems exist, and what the potential solutions suggested so far look like.