HEBBS CONCEPT OF CELL ASSEMBLIES AND THE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY OF WORD-PROCESSING

Hebb's brain-theoretical approach suggests that tightly connected netw orks of neurons, Hebbian cell assemblies, are the building blocks of c ognitive functions. These assemblies are not necessarily restricted to a small cortical locus but may be dispersed over distant cortical are as. Assemblies with different topographies can be postulated for diffe rent kinds of words, such as meaningful content versus grammatical fun ction words or words eliciting motor versus visual associations. Evide nce from evoked potentials and gamma-band electrocortical responses el icited by lexical material supports a cell assembly model of language and other higher cognitive functions.