From Neurons to Narratives: Cognitive Identity and Artificial Networks in Literary Contexts

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in applying neuroscientific approaches to literary studies, though practical engagement in neurohumanities has been somewhat limited. This paper examines how biological neurons, neural defense mechanisms, and cognitive-emotional processes shape identity and its representations in literature. By linking Patrick Colm Hogan’s cognitive literary theory with Martin Hagan’s artificial neural network (ANN) model, this research explores the way neuronal feedback loops, excitatory and inhibitory signaling, and plasticity contribute to identity formation and resilience in the face of internal and external disruptions. Literary examples from Neuromancer, White Noise, The Peripheral, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? And Johnny Mnemonic by William Gibson illustrate the way neural and computational models can illuminate narrative constructions of selfhood. Integrating neuroscience, cognitive literary theory, and computational analogies, this article argues that identity is an emergent, adaptive process shaped by ongoing interactions between neural mechanisms, environmental stimuli, and narrative structures.

Keywords:

neurohumanities , cognitive literary theory , neural plasticity , identity formation , artificial neural networks , literature , feedback loops , excitatory-inhibitory dynamics