Resilient cortical maps

Despite the loss of neurons during aging and the early stages of neurodegenerative disease, many cortical brain functions remain remarkably intact. Although this resilience is traditionally attributed to redundancy in neural networks, a new study uncovers a more active mechanism: dynamic homeostatic processes that preserve cortical representations in the face of neuronal loss. These processes recruit previously unengaged neurons and rearrange neuronal activity patterns to compensate for neuronal loss and maintain the integrity of representational maps in the brain.