Understanding complex systems such as the brain of mammals: Dr. Arvind Kumar and colleagues from the Bernstein Center and the Cluster of Excellence BrainLinks-BrainTools at the University of Freiburg present a new view on brain function. Much of today's brain research follows an approach that has been in use for decades: An area of the brain is either silenced of augmented in its activity, and the resulting effects in other parts of the brain -- or in the whole organ -- are measured. While this approach is very successful in understanding how the brain processes input from our senses, a team of scientists argues that it is too simple when trying to understand other brain regions.