Exploring Brain Activity: Single Neurons vs Neural Networks

Published on April 1, 2023

Understanding brain activity is like comparing the functions of individual cells to the collective power of an entire organism. Neural networks, which are interconnected and interacting neural units, act as dynamic systems capable of performing complex computations over time. For instance, a network of motor cortex neurons converts signals from motor planning to execution. While single neurons have their own roles, neural networks possess unique computational properties that individual neurons lack. To delve deeper into this fascinating realm of neuroscience, you can explore the research article linked below!

Brain activity can be described at multiple levels, including at the levels of single neurons and neural networks. A neural network is a set of interconnected and interacting neural units and can be described as a dynamical system that performs computations through its temporal evolution [1] (Box 1). For example, the temporal evolution of the activity of a network of motor cortex neurons performs the computation of converting motor planning signals to motor execution signals [2–9]. Neural networks possess computationally relevant properties that are not found in individual neurons.

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