What happens in our brain when we do complex tasks?

Researchers are beginning to untangle what lies behind complex brain activity, with a combination of a brain imaging technique and a Sudoku-like puzzle, writes Dr James (Mac) Shine from the Brain and Mind Centre. Have you ever sat down to complete your morning crossword or Sudoku and wondered about what's happening in your brain? Somewhere in the activity of the billions of neurons in your brain lies the code that lets you remember a key word, or apply the logic required to complete the puzzle. Given the brain's intricacy, you might assume that these patterns are incredibly complex and unique to each task. But recent research suggests things are actually more straightforward than that. It turns out that many structures in your brain work together in precise ways to coordinate their activity, shaping their actions to the requirements of whatever it is that you're trying to achieve. We call these coordinated patterns the "low-dimensional manifold", which you can think of as analogous to the major roadways that you use to commute to and from work. The majority of the traffic flows along these major highways, which represent an efficient and effective way to get from A to B. We have found evidence that most brain activity follows these types of patterns.