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Systemic Architecture of Mental Activity

Q: What obligatory components are included in the stage of afferent synthesis?

The stage of afferent synthesis includes four components: Dominant motivation — the leading component of the stage, built on the basis of various metabolic needs via neurohumoral signaling.Memory — a component of afferent synthesis; both genetic and individually acquired memory participate in behavior organization.Situational afferentation — a component of afferent synthesis; the relationship between dominant motivation and situational afferentation is always dynamic and built on the principle of dominance.Triggering afferentation — the stimulus.

For medical students2 min readUpdated 2026-10-10

Mental activity is the result of complex brain function acting in close coordination with somatic homeostatic processes. It relies on the operation of the subjective self and continuous processing of information from both internal and external environments, directing behavior toward need fulfillment.

Basis of psycheReflection of reality, goal-directed activity, and transmission of knowledge (consciousness).

Purpose of systemsFulfillment of vital biological (metabolic) and social needs.

MediatorsInformation molecules binding to cell receptors or nerve endings.

SubstrateThe morphofunctional basis includes neurons, synapses, and glial cells.

Essence and Components of the Psyche

The psyche is an essential component of human life. Its key characteristics include active sensory reflection of internal states and environmental impacts, activity aimed at interacting with the world, and the ability to accumulate and transmit knowledge, which defines consciousness.

Subjective attitude toward reality is formed through a series of processes:

Perception and sensation (emotions).
Memory and recall.
Mental imagery (imagination) and thinking.
Consciousness (awareness).

Manifestations of mental activity can be both external (behavioral acts, autonomic and emotional reactions) and internal, occurring without visible external expression.

Information Processes and Needs

Information processes play a leading role in mental activity. Information here is understood as an ideal entity and the basis of the subjective, reflecting interactions at various levels: from objects to the communication of living beings and neuro-glial interactions in the central nervous system.

The primary driver generating any information in the organism is a need—a deviation of the physicochemical parameters of the internal environment from their optimum.

Perception of this need is carried out by specialized genetically determined receptors. The main mediators in this process are information molecules (proteins, oligopeptides, fatty acids, lipoglycoproteins) that interact with cell membranes or nerve endings.

Functional Systems and Adaptive Behavior

The dynamics of mental activity rely on the functioning of the body's functional systems, which operate on the principle of self-regulation. Their main task is to maintain homeostasis parameters and provide behavioral activity to satisfy metabolic needs, and in humans, social needs as well.

The informational content of these systems determines the nature of adaptive behavior:

If the results of behavior have only physical properties, the systems are built on their physical informational equivalents.
If the results have a verbal character, the systems are supplemented by a verbal informational component.

This division is closely related to Ivan Pavlov's teaching on the first and second signaling systems. An important human specificity is that the informational equivalent of the psyche is inextricably linked with speech function. As Ivan Sechenov hypothesized, the morphofunctional substrate for this consists of neurons, glial cells, and synapses.

Architectonics of Mental Activity

Human mental informational activity is determined by the isomorphic cerebral architectonics of functional systems. It includes strictly sequential nodal mechanisms:

Afferent synthesis — the initial stage of information gathering and processing.
Decision making — selection of a specific behavioral vector.
Action result acceptor — formation of an anticipatory ideal image of the result that will satisfy the initial need.
Efferent synthesis — formulation of commands for effector organs.
Evaluation of results — continuous comparison of the achieved result's parameters (via feedback) with the initially formed action result acceptor.

Features of Human Mental Organization

While in animals the systemic construction is limited primarily to emotional sensations and metabolic needs, the key difference in humans is the influence of social factors.

This is particularly evident at the stage of afferent synthesis:

Biological motivations interact closely with socially determined situational afferentation.
Social memory mechanisms actively participate in the formation of higher motivations.
Social motives can significantly transform basic biological motives, giving them a distinct "social coloring".

Mnemonic

To remember the nodal mechanisms of architectonics, use the phrase "All Pro Athletes Eat Oranges": Afferent synthesis, P-Decision making (Processing), Action result acceptor, Efferent synthesis, Outcome evaluation.

Frequently asked questions

What obligatory components are included in the stage of afferent synthesis?

The stage of afferent synthesis includes four components:

Dominant motivation — the leading component of the stage, built on the basis of various metabolic needs via neurohumoral signaling.
Memory — a component of afferent synthesis; both genetic and individually acquired memory participate in behavior organization.
Situational afferentation — a component of afferent synthesis; the relationship between dominant motivation and situational afferentation is always dynamic and built on the principle of dominance.
Triggering afferentation — the stimulus.

What is the difference between the first and second signaling systems according to Ivan Pavlov?

The difference between the signaling systems lies in the specificity of perceived signals, thinking characteristics, and presence across species.

Feature	First Signaling System	Second Signaling System
Type of stimuli	Physical properties of conditioned stimuli (sound, light, odor)	Verbal influences (speech)
Type of thinking	Concrete-figurative thinking (sensations and perceptions)	Human consciousness (language as a material shell)
Signal specificity	Signals arrive directly from specialized receptors	The word acts as a "signal of signals" (signal of the first signals)
Presence in species	Present in both animals and humans	Unique to humans
Ontogenesis	Formed first	Formed on the basis of the first via learning and communication

What is the root cause of information processes in the psyche?

The root cause is a need, which arises as a result of the deviation of the organism's internal environment physicochemical parameters from the level optimal for metabolism.

How does the organism perceive a need?

This is carried out through specialized cellular receptors. Various information molecules, such as proteins, oligopeptides, and fatty acids, serve as the connecting link.

At which stage of systemic organization do social factors play a key role?

Social factors, social memory, and situational afferentation exert their greatest influence at the stage of afferent synthesis.

What is the main feature of human mental functional systems compared to animals?

Unlike animals, whose systems are directed toward metabolic needs and physical parameters, the informational equivalents of human systems are inextricably linked with speech function (the second signaling system) and social needs.

Go deeper

Detailed characterization of mental components: from perception to consciousness.
Interaction of neurons and glial elements in information processing.
Chemical diversity of information molecules (lipoglycoproteins, oligopeptides).
Mechanisms of social transformation of human biological motivations.
Connection between the architectonics of functional systems and Ivan Pavlov's doctrine of signaling systems.