Identifying and investigating emergent behaviour in neural systems

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Systems Biology
• Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• Emergence is fundamental to understanding brain functions, neurodevelopment, and neurodegeneration.
• Brain functions arise from complex interactions between neurons, synapses, and glia.
• Perturbations can lead to novel, often detrimental, emergent behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a practical framework for assessing emergent behaviors in neural systems.
• To identify novelty as a key condition for emergence and explore its origins.
• To provide guiding principles for experimental and model design in neuroscience.

Main Methods:

• Distilling theoretical approaches to emergence into a practical framework.
• Focusing on 'novelty' as a necessary condition for emergence.
• Applying the framework to neuroscience contexts, including epilepsy.

Main Results:

• A framework for assessing system behavior based on novelty was developed.
• Different forms of novelty in neuroscience were identified and exemplified.
• The framework was applied to understand the emergent behavior in epilepsy.

Conclusions:

• A novel framework aids in understanding emergent behaviors in neural systems.
• Recognizing system-dependent interaction differences is crucial for accurate modeling.
• Guiding principles are provided for future research on emergent neural phenomena.