What if what matters is emergent?

In this issue of Neuron, Ruggiero et al.¹ demonstrate that hippocampal networks maintain a stable mean firing rate despite unstable individual units. This homeostatic control operates through NMDAR-eEF2K-BDNF signaling in parvalbumin interneurons. Their findings highlight a mechanism by which cellular machinery maintains emergent network properties, bridging molecular mechanisms with network-level computation.