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# What is the nature of causality in the brain?

## Details

**Authors** Dhamala

**Year** 2015

**Publisher** Physics of Life Review

**Discipline** Neuroscience

[Read it at the publisher](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2015.10.019) 
10.1016/j.plrev.2015.10.019

## In authors' words

### What they set out to do (purpose)

To explore the nature and importance of causality as a tool for gaining deeper understanding

### What they found (results)

A living brain is a complex dynamical system with many highly interconnected, interacting and self-organizing entities (neurons). The traditional notion of brain regions as information-processing units, with an input, a local processing capability and an output is too rigid and is not generally applicable throughout the brain. They offer that the nature of causality is not yet well known, and therefore application to a broader range of subjects and sciences could greatly increase the understanding of causality itself, and the utility for deeper understanding of any content.

## Commentary

### In short

That relationships exist in mind and nature is established, such that the new emphasis needs to be one increasing human awareness of them and the power in seeing the relationships we make as a tool for building meaning from new inputs.

### In more detail

Additional research by Dhamala, 2015, explored the nature and importance of causality as a tool for gaining deeper understanding. They argue that the neurological research on causality is important to science as a whole and should be applied more readily. “A living brain is a complex dynamical system with many highly interconnected, interacting and self-organizing entities (neurons). The traditional notion of brain regions as information-processing units, with an input, a local processing capability and an output is too rigid and is not generally applicable throughout the brain.” They offer that the nature of causality is not yet well known, and therefore application to a broader range of subjects and sciences could greatly increase the understanding of causality itself, and the utility for deeper understanding of any content. They also say that it is naturally hard to see the brain as a fluid entity rather than as a black box of inputs and outputs; because the latter is much simpler and easier to deal with when trying to solve problems and answer questions. The human brain is considered to be one of the most complex systems in the universe. “There are many mysteries to be solved including the patterns of causal relations among brain regions during perception, cognition and behavior.” That relationships exist in mind and nature is established, such that the new emphasis needs to be one increasing human awareness of them and the power in seeing the relationships we make as a tool for building meaning from new inputs.

**Patterns it shows** R

**How to cite this** Dhamala (2015). What is the nature of causality in the brain?. Physics of Life Review.