Sensitivity to small changes is essential for organisms to make timely and reliable decisions, but operating near criticality also amplifies fluctuations and hinders information accumulation. Here, the authors show that when information is integrated over a finite time, as in biological readouts, the optimal sensitivity for a given integration time is achieved away from criticality, approaching criticality only as longer integration becomes available.
- Sahel Azizpour
- Viola Priesemann
- Anna Levina
