Brain on autopilot

Brain on autopilot
How the architecture of the brain shapes its functioning

The structure of the human brain is complex, reminiscent of a circuit diagram with countless connections. But what role does this architecture play in the functioning of the brain? To answer this question, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, in cooperation with colleagues at the Free University of Berlin and University Hospital Freiburg, have for the first time analysed 1.6 billion connections within the brain simultaneously. They found the highest agreement between structure and information flow in the “default mode network,” which is responsible for inward-focused thinking such as daydreaming.

Source and further reading:
http://www.mpg.de/7738341/brain-architecture-daydreaming
Image:
A daydreaming brain: the yellow areas depict the default mode network from three different perspectives; the coloured fibres show the connections amongst each other and with the remainder of the brain.
Credit: MPI for Human Development