Our brain interprets visual information by combining what we see with what we already know. A study published in the journal Neuron by researchers at the Champalimaud Foundation, and supported by the CaixaResearch Health Call of the la Caixa Foundation, reveals a mechanism for learning and storing this existing knowledge about the world. They found that neurons are wired to connect seemingly unrelated concepts.
This wiring may be crucial for enhancing the brain's ability to predict what we see based on past experiences, and bring us a step closer to understanding how this process goes awry in mental health disorders. How do we learn to make sense of our environment? Over time, our brain builds a hierarchy of knowledge, with higher-order concepts linked to the lower-order features that comprise them. For instance, we learn that cabinets contain drawers and that Dalmatian dogs have black-and-white patches, and not vice versa.
This interconnected framework shapes our expectations and perception of the world, allowing us to identify what we see based on context and experience. "Take an elephant", says Leopoldo Petreanu, senior author of the la Caixa -funded study. "Elephants are associated with lower-order attributes such as colour, size, and weight, as well as higher-order contexts like jungles or safaris.
Connecting concepts helps us understand the world and interpret ambiguous stimuli. If you're on a safari, you may be more likely to spot an elephant behind the bushes than you.