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Function in brain networks depends on the modularity and strength of interactions. Activity within a module is faster than across a widespread network because there is no need for the signal to travel long distances, and strong connections work faster than weaker, dif- fuse ones. Danielle Bassett and her colleagues showed that perception of visual cues and the response to new events that capture attention arise from strong, localized connections, which easily facilitate change in the activity of nearby nodes. By contrast, learning and cognition are associated with low modularity in the form of weak, long-distance connections. One outcome is that we see faster than we think.
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