Networks: From Biology to Theory

After over a century of research, we still do not understand the principle by which a stimulus, such as an odour or a sound, is represented by distributed neural ensembles within the brain; by which an individual is developed by the control of gene networks. While past studies have made detailed analysis of response profiles of single cells & the properties of a single gene in isolation, such techniques & approaches cannot easily address holistic issues of how large ensembles of neurons & genes can integrate information both spatially & temporally. There is little doubt that much of the info processing power of the brain or a gene network resides in the activities of co-operating & competing networks of neurons & genes & that if we unlock the principles whereby info is encoded processed within these networks as a whole, rather than within single neurones or genes in isolation, we may be able to understand how the brain or gene network works. Our book will contribute to the development of such a study.