Understanding Cognition Through Large-Scale Cortical Networks

An emerging body of evidence from a number of fields is beginning to reveal general neural principles underlying cognition. The characteristic adaptability of cognitive function is seen to derive from large-scale networks in the cerebral cortex that are able to repeatedly change the state of coordination among their constituent areas on a subsecond time scale. Experimental and theoretical studies suggest that large-scale network dynamics operate in a metastable regime in which the interdependence of cortical areas is balanced between integrating and segregating activities. Cortical areas, through their coordination dynamics, are thought to rapidly resolve a large number of mutually imposed constraints, leading to consistent local states and a globally coherent state of cognition.