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Neuron death/creation
    #3563710 -

Perhaps that's the right name for the topic of this post.

I have read before that over the course of something like seven years, every cell in your body is replaced with a new one. That is, you do not have the same cells in you as you did seven years ago because they are continually dying and being replaced.

If that is the case, then how do we maintain a continuous image of "self" or who we are, while this is happening?

I have a few thoughts on this.

Past memories: I can remember events well over seven years ago. Perhaps those connections are being re-established by accessing them subconsciously when new, related thoughts come to mind. As that new connection is made, a tie is made to that old thought therefore keeping it "active".

If one were to think of a specific event or thought as neuron(s) connected to the associated emotions, thoughts, images, etc, then one could theorize that those connections are reinforced just by activating them.

But those past memories do not come up on a regular basis. I could, however, theorize that those events integrate into my personality and are activated occasionally on a subconscious level, thus reinforcing them.

That being said, perhaps if the primary "conscious" thoughts that normally occur during the course of a day, were to gradually be changed, perhaps those subconscious thoughts and associations would not be reinforced and thus eventually forgotten.

But, that being said, perhaps these inacessible or otherwise subconscious thoughts and events do activate on a regular basis given they are important (stressed) enough, and maybe they would also happen to add to the general "stress" level of a person. Thus, by continually pushing up the "stress" level, they are continually being used and reinforced.

Note that by "stress" I do not mean "I am stressed out" but rather a continuum of activation, or perhaps energy (positive or negative), thus adding to the baseline level of "stress". The more impactful and prominent events/associations that feed this baseline level, the lower one's threshhold would be for actually being stressed out. As in, an important or "stressful" happening would make one more stressed than it might another person, due to the different persons' baseline stress level.

And not to trail off too much in a tangent to my original idea, but every person may also have a different tolerance for stressors, and perhaps as that baseline level of stress goes up, so does the threshhold for the stress being active in a person.

Just a few thoughts on thought and existence itself. Do comment.

Edited by poke smot! (09/07/20 01:53 PM)

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Re: Neuron death/creation [Re: poke smot!]
    #3563864 -

I've been thinking a lot about memories recently, myself and I'll tell you why in a minute, but first I would like to share with you what some of my thoughts on memories were before I had this experience.

I had previously adopted the notion that we don't remember our memories from times long past unless we constantly access them every few years to keep them fresh. I had also wondered if by doing this maybe we changed them a little each time and aren't really remembering the event as it happend but as the way we saw it the last time we accessed that memory.

But then one day about 2 weeks ago I was carrying a large piece of plywood and it was fairly close to my face. As I was carrying it I noticed it had a very preculiar smell. As I paused to wonder just what the smell was I had a memory rush through me of a time when I was approximately 7 years old. I remembered distinctly popping my head around the corner of the house we used to live in and firing my cap gun at one of my cousins who had been trying to find me in our little game of cops and robbers. The plywood had the exact smell of that cap powder residue. Or at least that's what it smelled like to me. What surprised me about all of this is the fact that I don't recall having ever remembered that particular memory since the day it actually happened 19 years ago.

It's a little off the topic but, I just thought I'd share it with you.


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Edited by 13eetleJuice (12/31/04 12:13 AM)

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Re: Neuron death/creation [Re: 13eetleJuice]
    #3563917 -

Past memories: I can remember events well over seven years ago. Perhaps those connections are being re-established by accessing them subconsciously when new, related thoughts come to mind. As that new connection is made, a tie is made to that old thought therefore keeping it "active".


That is correct.

If you recall something it updates your memory.

For example:

at age 5 you look at yourself in the mirror

at age 10 you recall looking at yourself in the mirror at age 5 and how you looked

at age 15 you recall, the recollection of yourself in the mirror at age 5 from you recalling it at age 10.

Etc.


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The Runnerup Show
runnerup@shroomery.org

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Re: Neuron death/creation [Re: runnerup]
    #3564681 -

yup, most memories are mere merories of memories of recalling memories :smile:

it's like a constantly updating operating system on constantly updating hardware.

most of this occurs during sleep though :smile:


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Re: Neuron death/creation [Re: deff]
    #3564880 -

body cells are replaced fairly easily, and we have a7 year cycle I think for the whole changeover.
brain cells are not replaced as such.
those that are not involved in activities of experiencing and recalled experiences (memories) will often die leaving space for the active ones to grow larger (permitting more cross-connections).
some new neurons do appear, but I do not understand where or what triggers it - just heard that it does happen.
but the question is if we have a new body how do we know we are ourselves??, well the old organs and limbs and tissues are all in the same places, and our self image in memory is about sensations at places.

frequently when we find a new wrinkle we panic - like cartoon characters


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:brainfart: _ :finger:

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Re: Neuron death/creation [Re: redgreenvines]
    #3567256 -

but your soul, my fickle freinds, the fabric of yourself, is never altered, not for an eternity or seven.


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"yet the more i dig, the more i consume, the more i unfold... the less protected i feel.
i am the spit on the hair of the son of an electron, swimming around the nucleus of a cell inside the sperm of a killer bee, and my purpose is as nebulous as why weve been bestowed with the capacity to give a shit" Brandon Boyd


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Re: Neuron death/creation [Re: incubaby_421]
    #11102393 -

I don't want to die...


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Re: Neuron death/creation [Re: Neuron]
    #11105308 -

'Consistent image of self' has little or nothing to do with the cells in your body but rather ideas in your mind. You maintain a consistent image of self just like you maintain a consistent image the ocean. But the ocean is never the same. It is still always 'the ocean'. It changes. So do we.


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Re: Neuron death/creation [Re: Noteworthy]
    #11106670 -

Noteworthy said:
'Consistent image of self' has little or nothing to do with the cells in your body but rather ideas in your mind. You maintain a consistent image of self just like you maintain a consistent image the ocean. But the ocean is never the same. It is still always 'the ocean'. It changes. So do we.


Well said.


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The Great Mycelium (TGMM) is more than you and me, we are all part of One.

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