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Title: Cognitive flexibility as the shifting of brain network flows by flexible neural representations
Our ability to overcome habitual responses in favor of goal-driven novel responses depends on frontoparietal cognitive control networks (CCNs). Recent and ongoing work is revealing the brain network and information processes that allow CCNs to generate cognitive flexibility. First, working memory processes necessary for flexible maintenance and manipulation of goal-relevant representations were recently found to depend on short-term network plasticity (in contrast to persistent activity) within CCN regions. Second, compositional (i.e. abstract and reusable) rule representations maintained within CCNs have been found to reroute network activity flows from stimulus to response, enabling flexible behavior. Together, these findings suggest cognitive flexibility is enhanced by CCN-coordinated network mechanisms, utilizing compositional reuse of neural representations and network flows to flexibly accomplish task goals.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2219323 2117429
PAR ID:
10531797
Author(s) / Creator(s):
Publisher / Repository:
Elsevier
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences
Volume:
57
Issue:
C
ISSN:
2352-1546
Page Range / eLocation ID:
101384
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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