Your Brain Detects Patterns without Conscious Thought

In this edition of Today in Science, your brain clocks patterns, subconsciously.

This is an abbreviated version of Today in Science, our free daily newsletter that covers the latest cutting edge discoveries in science. Sign up to get the full edition of Today in Science in your inbox every day.

--Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

Active Subconscious Brain

Brain researchers examined 17 people with epilepsy who had electrodes implanted in their brains ahead of surgical treatment. They showed the participants photos of faces in a repeating sequence while monitoring two brain regions involved in memory and navigation. Neurons in both areas gradually started responding not only to the face being presented but also to the next faces in the sequence.

Why this is so cool: Participants’ neurons began lighting up in anticipation of what face would appear next, even if the individual didn’t seem to notice any pattern when asked by a researcher. This suggests that the brain learns patterns subconsciously and can predict future events based on those patterns.

What the experts say: Uncovering how the brain organizes and predicts sequences of events could help scientists develop memory-boosting therapies. “It’s eventually a question of putting things together in time,” says Itzhak Fried, a neurosurgeon and neuroscientist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “This is really the crux of memory.”

Sign up here to read the full version of Today in Science!