To explain how the brain orchestrates information-processing for cognition, we must understand information itself. Importantly, information is not a monolithic entity. Information decomposition techniques provide a way to split information into its constituent elements: unique, redundant, and synergistic information. We review how disentangling synergistic and redundant interactions is redefining our understanding of integrative brain function and its neural organisation. To explain how the brain navigates the trade-offs between redundancy and synergy, we review converging evidence integrating the structural, molecular, and functional underpinnings of synergy and redundancy; their roles in cognition and computation; and how they might arise over evolution and development. Overall, disentangling synergistic and redundant information provides a guiding principle for understanding the informational architecture of the brain and cognition.

中文翻译：

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信息分解和大脑的信息结构


为了解释大脑如何协调信息处理以进行认知，我们必须了解信息本身。重要的是，信息并不是一个单一的实体。信息分解技术提供了一种将信息分解为其组成元素的方法：独特的、冗余的和协同的信息。我们回顾了解开协同和冗余相互作用如何重新定义我们对大脑综合功能及其神经组织的理解。为了解释大脑如何在冗余和协同之间进行权衡，我们回顾了整合协同和冗余的结构、分子和功能基础的汇聚证据；他们在认知和计算中的作用；以及它们如何在进化和发展过程中出现。总体而言，解开协同和冗余信息为理解大脑和认知的信息结构提供了指导原则。