Theory 21/Neural wiring/Connectomics
Wiring Minimises Cost at Fixed Function
The claim
Connection probability between two neurons is set by the ratio of wiring cost to functional benefit, so short-range connections are over-represented relative to their information value.
01Mechanism
Axons cost volume and energy; the brain trades that cost against the benefit of the connection.
02Prediction
Connection probability should decay with distance faster than function would predict.
03Refutation
Uniform connection probability would remove the cost term.
04What makes it checkable
Dense connectomes now measure connection probability and geometry together across entire circuits.
05Why it was not testable before
Connectomes were previously partial and biased toward long-range projections.