Setting the stage for a better understanding of complex brain disorders

We often compare the brain to a machine with wheels, cogs, and belts. In this analogy, when something breaks, the entire mechanism skips a beat or grinds to a halt. However, more often than not this isn’t what happens with our brains. Instead, they’re more like a theater. Here, neurons are the musicians, actors, and dancers, and they improvise a performance that shapes our thoughts and lives.