The Brain: Most powerful Tool

By Purity .J.

Scientists are a step closer to understanding the question of how information is processed in the human brain that has long intrigued scientists.

In a study, published in Nature Neuroscience, scientists from Imperial's Data Science Institute and the University of Cambridge used evidence from different species and multiple neuroscience disciplines to track how the brain processes information.

They found that different brain regions use different strategies to interact with each other. This combination of complementary information between different sources is known as 'synergy' and may explain why the human brain is smarter than our primate ancestors.

Co-author Dr Fernando Rosas said, "The framework we developed in this study is exciting as it combines fundamental theoretical principles with practical data analysis tools to bring new answers to challenging neuroscientific questions."

Brains like computers
Current theoretical models describe the brain as a distributed information processing system. This means, in a similar way to a computer, the brain is made of distinct components which are wired together in a tight network of neurons and synapses.

Different brain components have different roles or functions. For example, there are areas that are specialised in processing sensory information such as colours, shapes or sounds, and others in processing information related to movement (for example, activation and coordination of muscles).

Additionally, there are some brain regions that are believed to integrate information coming from different sensory modalities in order to carry out more complicated processing, including planning, decision-making, or even the construction of self-narratives and personal identity. It is believed these different types of brain regions process information differently and therefore exhibit different patterns of activity.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0CLFSLPP6
• ISBN13: 9798864976425
• Release Date: October 2023
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 62 Pages
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 8.5" x 11.0"