[Verse 1] Top floor of the cortex, no furniture, just wire Layer One's a rooftop, almost nobody livin' higher Cell bodies stayed downstairs, they didn't make the trip Just dendrites reachin' upward like a canopy, no grip Those tufts belong to stellates, layer two below the ceiling Sendin' branches to the surface just to catch the feeling Perirhinal whispers, postrhinal drops a line Presubiculum joins in, three voices intertwine [Chorus] Layer One, nearly bare, but the traffic's always there Dendrites climb to meet the axons in the open air Perirhinal, postrhinal, presubiculum too Whisper down to layer two, that's the story, that's the cue Gatekeeper interneurons standin' at the door Filter what gets through before it hits the floor [Verse 2] Picture cables droppin' down from a satellite dish Landin' soft on tuft branches, granting silent wish Extrinsic inputs only, this ain't the local chatter This is cortex talkin' cortex, distal dendrite matter Superficial cells lean up to catch what's fallin' through While layer one interneurons decide what to let through Inhibition ain't the villain, it's the volume knob you twist Too much signal drowns the message, gatin' keeps the list [Chorus] Layer One, nearly bare, but the traffic's always there Dendrites climb to meet the axons in the open air Perirhinal, postrhinal, presubiculum too Whisper down to layer two, that's the story, that's the cue Gatekeeper interneurons standin' at the door Filter what gets through before it hits the floor [Verse 3] Now don't forget the crossers, commissural fibers ride Straight across the midline to the other hemisphere's side Associational strands connect the local neighborhood too Layer One's a crossroads, not a lonely avenue So when you sketch that stellate, give it branches reaching tall Mark the tuft up top in layer one, that's where the inputs fall Distal dendrite, apical, kissin' incoming lines Draw the interneuron near, controllin' the designs [Bridge] Sparse in bodies, dense in purpose, that's the paradox we teach Emptiest layer holdin' the longest reach Draw it, label it, don't skip the fine detail Tuft meets axon, gate decides, that's the whole trail [Chorus] Layer One, nearly bare, but the traffic's always there Dendrites climb to meet the axons in the open air Perirhinal, postrhinal, presubiculum too Whisper down to layer two, that's the story, that's the cue Gatekeeper interneurons standin' at the door Filter what gets through before it hits the floor [Outro] Sketch the stellate, mark the tuft, let the input land Layer One's the welcome mat where the outside meets the plan
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