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Nature 447, 46-47 (3 May 2007) | doi:10.1038/447046a; Published online 2 May 2007

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Neuroscience: Unconscious networking

Mark A. Pinsk1 & Sabine Kastner1

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What are neural networks doing when the brain is at rest? It turns out that in primates, even under conditions of deep anaesthesia, some of these networks undergo highly organized patterns of activity.

Our brains use up enormous amounts of energy, even when we are daydreaming with our eyes closed and not performing any demanding mental operations1. In fact, intensive cognitive operations — arithmetic calculations, for example — increase the brain's energy consumption only minimally.

  1. Mark A. Pinsk and Sabine Kastner are in the Department of Psychology and the Center for the Study of Brain, Mind and Behavior, Green Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544-1010, USA.
    Email: skastner@princeton.ed