An Alternate Framework for Neural Functioning: Reinterpreting Action Potentials, Vesicle Dynamics, and Brain Waves to Explain Certain Neurological Diseases

This outline hypothesizes that the manner in which neurons function has been fundamentally misunderstood. Contrary to prevailing models in which neurons are viewed primarily as components of distributed pattern networks, it is asserted that neurons operate as individual information processors that store information chemically and move it electrically. To this end, a mechanical model in which vesicles are the key components of information processing is presented that explains the progression of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and epilepsy. In each case, observed brain wave abnormalities are reinterpreted as signatures of neural dysfunctions that are explainable based on a single model of brain functioning rather than as symptoms of unrelated system failures. The proposal outlines clear, falsifiable predictions to test this framework, which it is asserted offers a more coherent way of understanding brain functions as well as the root causes of major neurological disorders. Simply put, if validated, the model will likely reframe the foundations of neuroscience.