Neurons in The Brain Appear to Follow a Distinct Mathematical Pattern
Published in Brain/Neurology.
Researchers taking part in the Human Brain Project have identified a mathematical rule that governs the distribution of neurons in our brains.
The rule predicts how neurons are distributed in different parts of the brain, and could help scientists create precise models to understand how the brain works and develop new treatments for neurological diseases.
In the wonderful world of statistics, if you consider any continuous random variable, the logarithm of that variable will often follow what’s known as a lognormal distribution. Defined by the mean and standard deviation, it can be visualized as a bell-shaped curve, only with the curve being wider than what you’d find in a normal distribution.
A team of researchers from the Jülich Research Center and the University of Cologne in Germany found the number of neurons in areas of the outer layer of neural tissue in different mammals fits a lognormal distribution.
Mathematics aside, a simple and important distinction is the symmetry of the normal distribution bell curve and the asymmetry and heavy right-skewed tail of the lognormal distribution, due to a large number of small values and a few significantly large values.
https://www.sciencealert.com/neurons-in-the-brain-appear-to-follow-a-distinct-mathematical-pattern