AI Insight
Neuroscientists at the University of Sydney investigated how the brain efficiently processes environmental information with minimal energy expenditure. The study, published in JNeurosci, examined two competing theories: whether the brain conserves energy by refining representations of expected events or by prioritizing unexpected events that contain new information. The research by Reuben Rideaux and colleagues found evidence that the brain employs both strategies at different times depending on the circumstances.
Why it matters
Understanding how the brain balances processing expected versus unexpected information has implications for explaining human attention, learning, and memory formation. These insights could inform approaches to cognitive training, attention disorders, and the development of more energy-efficient artificial intelligence systems modeled on brain function.
Understand the Science
People process lots of information about the environment while adapting as this information changes—without high energy use. Neuroscientists researching the brain’s efficiency in processing information in the environment are split: Some believe the brain saves energy by sharpening and refining its representations of expected events, while others believe it prioritizes unexpected events, which carry new information. In a new paper from JNeurosci, Reuben Rideaux and colleagues from the University of Sydney ultimately discovered that the brain may use both strategies at different times.
Source: How expectation and attention influence response speed and memory