Brain wiring to be cheap but effective...

Take several hot topics in neuro and blend; the result is this new paper by Sporns in NatRevNeuro, which integrates network analysis with economics and brain energetics. Sporns proposes that brains are subject to an economic comeptition of providing maximal adaptive value for the minimum cost. Costs are both fixed (wiring and synaptic connections) and dynamic (activity). Network analysis suggests that brain topology is sensitive but not fully determined by fixed costs, and economic analysis of networks correctly predicts some patterns of disruption that occur when brain energy is disrupted. Overall, a lot to chew over. I get worried that the network features discerned may be tautological or tangential to brian function, especially when Sporns mentions that new studies show that task demands can radically alter DTI-traced network topology within seconds! Also, his focus seems entirely on fixed demands (wiring)--I suspect dynamics costs (max information/spike) are equally important.

Bullmore, E., & Sporns, O. (2012). The economy of brain network organization. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 13(MAY), 336-349. doi:10.1038/nrn3214.  http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/nrn3214.