Neural murmurations Comment on 'Understanding brain networks and brain organization' by Luiz Pessoa

摘要

If not the last frontier, understanding the human brain is certainly one of the last. Over the past decade there has been a shift in the focus of neuroscience. The concept of the brain as a network is gaining traction and is rapidly becoming a dominant perspective [1]. In the target article [2], Luiz Pessoa discusses major conceptual shifts that must accompany the methodological changes associated with network science applications to the brain. The software, algorithms, and computational power needed to perform network analyses are now at the fingertips of all neuroscientists. But, this places us at a fork in the road. Will these tools be used to substantiate what has already been discovered, or will we seek a totally new and improved understanding of the brain?