The Metastable Brain

Emmanuelle Tognoli, J.A. Scott Kelso

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    498 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Neural ensembles oscillate across a broad range of frequencies and are transiently coupled or “bound” together when people attend to a stimulus, perceive, think, and act. This is a dynamic, self-assembling process, with parts of the brain engaging and disengaging in time. But how is it done? The theory of Coordination Dynamics proposes a mechanism called metastability, a subtle blend of integration and segregation. Tendencies for brain regions to express their individual autonomy and specialized functions (segregation, modularity) coexist with tendencies to couple and coordinate globally for multiple functions (integration). Although metastability has garnered increasing attention, it has yet to be demonstrated and treated within a fully spatiotemporal perspective. Here, we illustrate metastability in continuous neural and behavioral recordings, and we discuss theory and experiments at multiple scales, suggesting that metastable dynamics underlie the real-time coordination necessary for the brain’s dynamic cognitive, behavioral, and social functions.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)35-48
    Number of pages13
    JournalNeuron
    Volume81
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished online - 8 Jan 2014

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