ABSTRACT
How is neural information processing to be understood? One of the principal first challenges is to identify the roles of the network elements, be they single neurons, neuronal assemblies or cortical regions, depending on the scale on which the system is analyzed. Even simple nervous systems are capable of carrying out multiple and unrelated functions. Each function recruits some of the elements of the system, and often the same element participates in several functions. A precise quantification of the elements’ contributions to the different functions may provide insights regarding the functioning of the nervous system, raise new hypotheses, and lead the way to further research.
