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Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System

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The limbic system, often called the "emotional brain," is a complex set of structures located deep within the brain. The intricate network of the limbic system supports a wide range of psychological functions, from emotional regulation to memory formation and sensory processing. This functional brain region encompasses specific parts of the diencephalon and the cerebrum, integrating the higher mental functions of the cerebral cortex with the primitive emotional responses of the deep brain...

Organization of the Brain

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 18, 2025

Induction of an Isoelectric Brain State to Investigate the Impact of Endogenous Synaptic Activity on Neuronal Excitability In Vivo

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Published on: March 31, 2016

Is criticality a unified setpoint of brain function?

Keith B Hengen¹, Woodrow L Shew²

¹Department of Biology, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA.

|June 24, 2025

Summary

The brain may operate at a critical state to optimize information processing. A meta-analysis reveals a long-standing controversy is due to methodology, not brain dynamics.

Keywords:

critical brain hypothesis criticality homeostasis marginal stability meta-analysis network dynamics neuronal avalanches optimal computation setpoint

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 18, 2025

Induction of an Isoelectric Brain State to Investigate the Impact of Endogenous Synaptic Activity on Neuronal Excitability In Vivo

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Published on: March 31, 2016

Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping

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Published on: August 12, 2019

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain

Published on: October 13, 2023

Area of Science:

Computational Neuroscience
Systems Neuroscience
Neuroscience

Background:

Brains undergo selective pressures to optimize computational processes through development, plasticity, and homeostasis.
The criticality hypothesis proposes a universal setpoint for brain function, characterized by marginally stable dynamics that maximize information processing.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the validity of the criticality hypothesis as a unifying principle of brain function.
To resolve a long-standing controversy regarding the interpretation of experimental evidence for criticality in the brain.

Main Methods:

A meta-analysis of 140 datasets published between 2003 and 2024 was conducted.
Experimental evidence supporting the criticality hypothesis was reviewed.

Main Results:

The study found that a persistent controversy surrounding brain criticality stems from a methodological choice unrelated to the underlying neural dynamics.
Evidence suggests that criticality is a robust feature of brain function across diverse studies.

Conclusions:

Criticality represents a fundamental principle for optimizing brain computation.
Future research can utilize criticality to advance understanding of behavior, cognition, and neurological diseases.