Abstract
Neuroscience has undergone radical change since The Lancet Neurology was launched in 2002. An explosion of new technologies has enabled discoveries that have fundamentally changed our understanding of brain function. Here, we offer our perspective on the revolution that has taken place, with a particular focus on developments in systems neuroscience. Much of this work is based on animal experiments, which offer the cellular resolution required to understand systems-level mechanisms. We start by describing the types of questions and methods that characterised neuroscience 20 years ago. We then highlight three paradigm shifts: (1) the switch from studying whole brain areas or single neurons to studying intermingled neural circuits at cellular resolution, (2) the increased focus on computation at the level of emergent properties in large neural populations, and (3) the transition from measuring neural activity in highly controlled or restricted settings to ones that accommodate ethologically relevant behaviours better (figure). Finally, we consider how this transformation will advance our future understanding of brain function in health and disease.
Published Version
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