From complex networks to intelligent systems

Abstract

Much progress has been made in our understanding of the structure and function of brain networks. Recent evidence indicates that such networks contain specific structural patterns and motifs and that these structural attributes facilitate complex neural dynamics. Such complex dynamics enables brain circuits to effectively integrate information, a fundamental capacity that appears to be associated with a broad range of higher cognitive functions. Complex networks underlying cognition are not confined to the brain, but extend through sensors and effectors to the external world. Viewed in a quantitative framework, the information processing capability of the brain depends in part on the embodied interactions of an autonomous system in an environment. Thus, the conceptual framework of complex networks might provide a basis for the understanding and design of future intelligent systems. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009.