La infancia como valor y como problema en las luchas sanitarias de principios de siglo en España

En torno a los años veinte del presente siglo, mediante un proceso iniciado en las últimas décadas del siglo xix, el niño llega a ser considerado como un objeto valioso y como un problema social. Su cuerpo es estudiado y entendido desde el discurso médico, lo cual tiene repercusiones en otras esferas de la vida social. A los niños se les atribuye un catálogo de características que conforman, en su conjunto, un modelo ideal dentro del ámbito familiar y doméstico. Cuidado, protección e intervención es la triada que subyace en las luchas sanitarias en pro de la salud y el bienestar infantiles en la España del período estudiado

Editorial: Metastable Dynamics of Neural Ensembles

A classical view of neural computation is that it can be characterized in terms of convergence to attractor states or sequential transitions among states in a noisy background. After over three decades, is this still a valid model of how brain dynamics implements cognition? This book provides a comprehensive collection of recent theoretical and experimental contributions addressing the question of stable versus transient neural population dynamics from complementary angles. These studies showcase recent efforts for designing a framework that encompasses the multiple facets of metastability in neural responses, one of the most exciting topics currently in systems and computational neuroscience

Attracting dynamics of frontal cortex ensembles during memory-guided decision-making.

A common theoretical view is that attractor-like properties of neuronal dynamics underlie cognitive processing. However, although often proposed theoretically, direct experimental support for the convergence of neural activity to stable population patterns as a signature of attracting states has been sparse so far, especially in higher cortical areas. Combining state space reconstruction theorems and statistical learning techniques, we were able to resolve details of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) multiple single-unit activity (MSUA) ensemble dynamics during a higher cognitive task which were not accessible previously. The approach worked by constructing high-dimensional state spaces from delays of the original single-unit firing rate variables and the interactions among them, which were then statistically analyzed using kernel methods. We observed cognitive-epoch-specific neural ensemble states in ACC which were stable across many trials (in the sense of being predictive) and depended on behavioral performance. More interestingly, attracting properties of these cognitively defined ensemble states became apparent in high-dimensional expansions of the MSUA spaces due to a proper unfolding of the neural activity flow, with properties common across different animals. These results therefore suggest that ACC networks may process different subcomponents of higher cognitive tasks by transiting among different attracting states