Controlling medically-induced comas, deciding not to decide, and a note from the Editor-in-Chief: the PLOS Comp Biol October issue

Here’s our pick of the best PLOS Computational Biology content for October.

In a step towards improving the process of sedation, Maryam Shanechi and colleagues have developed a brain-machine interface that can automatically control the level of brain inactivation in medically-induced comas. The authors propose that their design could replace manual administration of anaesthetics in the intensive care unit and in surgeries.

Putting off that important decision until you feel better informed? You’re not alone… Sebastian Gluth and colleagues have shown that when faced with uncertainty, people often “decide not to decide”; rather than choose immediately, they search for more information that reduces the uncertainty.

Finally, Ruth Nussinov, PLOS Computational Biology Editor-in-Chief, marked the end of her first year at the helm with an Editorial discussing how the journal can help the biological sciences by ensuring that we focus on open questions, particularly those relating to disease, where the field of computational biology can drive progress.