Our ability to think, decide, remember recent events and more, comes from our brain’s neocortex. Now University of California, Irvine neuroscientists have discovered key aspects of the mechanisms behind these functions. Their findings could ultimately help improve treatments for certain neuropsychiatric disorders and brain injuries. Their study appears in Neuron.
Scientists have long known that the neocortex integrates what are called feedforward and feedback information streams. Feedforward data is relayed by the brain’s sensory systems from the periphery (our senses) to the neocortex’s higher order areas. These high-level brain regions then send feedback information to refine and adjust sensory processing. This back-and-forth communication allows the brain to pay attention, retain short-term memories, and make decisions.
“A simple example is when you want to cross a busy road,”…
