Architecture

Inside the
living brain.

1,156,800 neurons. 814M synapses (live count). 65 synapse groups. 6 learning rules running together, continuously.

15 brain regions

Each region has a distinct computational role. Together they form a unified mind through 65 synapse pathways.

Brainstem

19K +

Manages basic survival drives like energy, temperature, and fatigue. Converts raw sensor signals into neural spikes. Always active, the brain's heartbeat.

Feeds sensory cortex and motor cortex

Reflex Arc

12K +

Ultra-fast sensory-to-motor pathway that bypasses higher cognition. Handles immediate danger responses in under 10ms, like pulling away from heat.

Receives from sensory cortex, drives motor cortex

Sensory Cortex

233K +

Processes all incoming sensory data: vision, audio, touch, proprioception. Each modality occupies a dedicated sub-region.

Sends to association, motor, cerebellum, features

Motor Cortex

116K +

Generates movement commands across 6 sub-ranges: locomotion, manipulation, head, speech, expression, and cognitive action.

Receives from all regions, outputs motor commands

Cerebellum

116K +

Learns precise timing and coordination through error correction. Smooths motor output and builds internal models of body dynamics.

Receives from sensory, refines motor output

Association Cortex

233K +

The brain's largest region. Binds different sensory modalities together. Cross-modal associations form via STDP learning.

Hub connecting all other regions

Predictive Layer

116K +

Continuously predicts what comes next. High prediction error triggers attention and accelerated learning. Drives curiosity.

Bidirectional with association and concepts

Working Memory

28K +

Sustained firing patterns maintain information across time steps, holding a thought in mind for short-term reasoning.

Receives from association and concepts, drives motor

Feature Layer

93K +

Extracts intermediate features: edges, textures, phonemes. Learns hierarchical representations automatically through STDP.

Sits between sensory cortex and association

Concept Layer

23K +

Forms abstract concepts using winner-take-all competition. Sparse codes where only a few neurons fire per concept.

Receives from association and predictive layers

Meta Controller

14K +

Executive control. Modulates attention, gates learning, coordinates global brain state. The closest analog to conscious decision-making.

Modulates association and motor cortex

Pattern Separator

50K +

Dentate gyrus analog. Sparse expansion via k-WTA separates similar inputs into distinct representations to prevent interference during memory formation.

Receives from sensory cortex, feeds concept layer

Global Workspace

5K +

Ignition-based broadcast for conscious access. When activity exceeds threshold, signals are broadcast to all cortical regions simultaneously.

Receives from concept and meta, broadcasts to all

ACC

50K +

Anterior Cingulate Cortex. Monitors for conflicts between competing motor plans, detects prediction errors, evaluates effort/reward. Contains Von Economo spindle neurons for rapid urgency broadcast.

Receives from association, predictive, workspace, FI. Sends to motor, workspace, meta, FI

Frontoinsular Cortex

50K +

Integrates interoceptive body-state signals with external social cues to build emotional representations. Contains Von Economo spindle neurons for rapid emotional broadcast. Triggers oxytocin release during social bonding.

Receives from brainstem, sensory, association, predictive, ACC. Sends to ACC, workspace, motor, meta

6 learning rules

All six operate together, continuously. This is Patent Claim #1.

STDP → Eligibility Trace → Neuromodulator → Weight Update

STDP

Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity

+

Pre-synaptic spike before post-synaptic spike strengthens the connection. Reverse order weakens it. Configurable tau and amplitude per synapse group.

Eligibility Traces

Temporal credit assignment

+

STDP marks synapses as eligible for change. Traces decay over ~1000ms, waiting for a neuromodulatory signal to convert potential into actual weight change. Bridges the gap between spike timing and delayed reward.

BCM Metaplasticity

Sliding plasticity threshold

+

Per-postsynaptic-neuron theta that tracks recent activity. Highly active neurons become harder to potentiate, preventing runaway excitation and creating competition between inputs.

Neuromodulation

4-channel gating system

+

Dopamine (reward), Acetylcholine (attention), Norepinephrine (arousal), and Serotonin (mood) gate when and how strongly eligibility traces convert to weight changes. Each channel has phase-dependent baselines.

Synaptic Scaling

Homeostatic normalization

+

Per-neuron multiplicative normalization prevents weight explosion or collapse. Reduced during high-plasticity developmental phases to allow rapid reorganization.

R-STDP

Reward-modulated learning

+

Prediction error scales STDP weight changes on motor pathways. When the brain's prediction matches reality, motor learning is reinforced. When it doesn't, pathways weaken.

The neuron

Leaky Integrate-and-Fire with 4 dendritic compartments. 80% excitatory, 20% inhibitory.

Membrane Dynamics

τ · dV/dt = -(V - Vrest) + R · Isyn

Each neuron integrates synaptic current, leaks toward rest, and fires a spike when voltage crosses threshold. After firing, voltage resets and a refractory period prevents immediate re-firing.

80%
Excitatory
20%
Inhibitory

4 Dendritic Compartments

Apical Distal Top-down context and feedback
Apical Proximal Prediction signals
Basal Feedforward sensory input
Perisomatic Inhibitory control

Each compartment has independent membrane dynamics. Apical compartments exhibit supralinear dendritic spikes (2.5× amplification). Patent Claim #5.

5 developmental phases

The brain develops through critical periods modeled on human brain ontogeny. Adolescent entry is experience-dependent, never hardcoded. Patent Claim #2.

01

Infant

1.0× +

Maximum exploration. All neuromodulators elevated. The brain absorbs everything.

0–60K steps
02

Toddler

0.7× +

Sensory patterns stabilize. Feature extraction begins. Basic cross-modal associations form.

60K–360K steps
03

Juvenile

0.48× +

Hierarchical layers activate. Concept formation begins. Working memory strengthens.

360K–2.16M steps
04

Adolescent

1.5× +

Synaptic pruning (max 5%/round). Myelination locks pathways to 10% plasticity. Identity tagging at 1%. The brain sculpts itself.

Experience-triggered steps
05

Mature

0.3× +

Consolidated identity. Selective learning only. New skills without forgetting old ones.

Ongoing steps

Processing hierarchy

From raw sensor data to abstract concepts. Each layer learns its representations through STDP. No backpropagation.

Sensory Cortex 233K Raw input encoding: vision, audio, touch, proprioception
Feature Layer 93K Edge, texture, and phoneme extraction
Association Cortex 233K Cross-modal binding via spike-timing coincidence
Concept Layer 23K Sparse winner-take-all abstract representations
Predictive Layer 116K Sequence learning and world model
Meta Controller 14K Executive attention and learning gating

Motor output

116,200 motor neurons divided into 6 functional sub-ranges. Speech and cognitive action channels emerge through development.

0–30%
Locomotion
30–60%
Manipulation
60–80%
Head Control
80–83%
Speech
83–85%
Expression
85–100%
Cognitive Action

Cognitive action channel

When the brain encounters something it can't predict, it learns to ask for help. The decision to query is emergent, not hardcoded. This is the Patent Claim #3 design.

01
Unknown input

Sensory pattern doesn't match learned concepts

02
Prediction error

Sustained high error in predictive layer

03
Motor fires

Cognitive sub-range activates via STDP

04
LLM query

NATS publishes to Ollama bridge

05
Response injection

Answer re-enters sensory pipeline

06
STDP learning

Brain learns. No query needed next time

Closed sensorimotor loop

The brain learns from its own actions. Motor commands fire, actuators move, proprioceptive sensors capture the outcome, and R-STDP adjusts motor pathways.

Motor fires → Actuator moves → Sensor feedback → R-STDP learns → Better motor

Sensors supported: Camera, Microphone, IMU/Gyro, Joint Encoders, Force Sensors, Serial (ESP32/Arduino). Any sensor, any actuator, connected via universal NATS message bus.

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