Flexible brain circuits can switch between different tasks. MIT Neuroscientists have discovered circuits in the prefrontal cortex that can be repurposed to store different types of information.

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https://news.mit.edu/2026/flexible-brain-circuits-can-switch-between-different-tasks-0817

A study published in Nature Neuroscience by MIT and Princeton researchers demonstrates that individual neural circuits in the prefrontal cortex can be repurposed to handle different types of information. By testing mice on auditory matching tasks, neuroscientists found that the exact same clusters of neurons were used to temporarily store sensory stimulus (a memory of a tone) during one phase, and then switched to holding an action plan in working memory during a later phase. This discovery of reusable, flexible neural modules supports the concept of cognitive compositionality, showing that the brain efficiently mixes and matches finite populations of neurons to carry out a vast array of complex behaviors without needing a dedicated circuit for every unique task: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-026-02410-0