For decades, scientists have mapped attention, memory, language, and reasoning to separate brain networks — yet one big mystery remained: why does the mind feel like a single, unified system?

Facial expressions arise from brain networks that encode slow, context-rich meaning and fast muscle control on different time scales, keeping smiles and threats socially precise.

In recent years, breakthroughs in imaging have changed our ability to study the brain, providing a variety of modalities with varying resolution, penetration, and sensitivity. In neuropharmacology, ...