What is the Critical Brain Hypothesis? Increasingly, researchers are considering that the brain processes signals in a way that incorporates a delicate balance between order and chaos.
So brain signals are random? No, not exactly. This hypothesis suggests that brain signals travel from neuron to neuron in chain reactions that incorporate mass complexity but also flexibility.
Can you help me picture that? Think of forest fires and how they grow as flames spread out to trees that happen to be nearby. This behavior is mathematically predictable, but increasingly complex as the fire adapts to the various conditions in the moment.
Why would the brain work like that? By operating at the edge between order and disorder, the brain is maximizing its network of neurons for complex thinking, but it’s also allowing for flexibility to adapt to new signals in the moment. If the brain operates like a forest fire, being on the edge of chaos helps to keep it under control.
@newscientist.com discusses the #CriticalBrainHypothesis, a concept proposing that the brain manages enormous complexity by operating at the tipping point between order and disorder. This has profound implications for brain disease research. #Brainsky
