
Cerebral cortex in rats' brains is set up like the Internet - Oatseller
http://news.usc.edu/79313/study-reveals-internet-like-networks-in-cerebral-cortex-of-rats/
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appleflaxen

      The Internet has countless local area networks that then connect with larger, regional networks and ultimately with the backbone of the Internet. The brain operates in a similar way
    

These kinds of "news releases" from universities are really annoying to read.
How could the brain be set up any _other_ way than "local network areas
connected by a bigger network"?

Is that really even notable?

These types of "stories" are simply fluff PR for academic research, and (IMO)
get more traction on HN than they deserve given the lack of substance.

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svisser
Actually, yes - there are many topologies that a rat's brain could have but
apparently doesn't.

For example, nature could have favoured more ring or star topologies:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_topology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_topology).

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varjag
Well then it would have been remarkable find indeed, as few would expect
neural configurations forming a perfect loop or having a single point of
failure.

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coldtea
Why not? Larger evolutionary structures do seem to have a single point of
failure, e.g. the heart.

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varjag
One neuron dying off is much more probable than a fatal heart condition. Heart
is a multi-cellar, regenerative organ which often recovers from substantial
damage.

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maljx
Isn't it the internet that's setup like a rat brain?

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cbd1984
Every densely-meshed network is set up like a brain.

~~~
anon4
A _rat_ brain, we still haven't thoroughly studied other brains. Maybe
hippopotamuses have token-ring networks.

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sawwit
This kind of network topology of the cortex appears to be also supported by
research of hydrocephalus patients: [http://boingboing.net/2015/07/28/man-
born-with-virtually-no-...](http://boingboing.net/2015/07/28/man-born-with-
virtually-no-b.html)

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transfire
So when does the Internet start scurrying around mazes for cheese?

