A Network Engineering Perspective on Probing and Perturbing Cognition with Neurofeedback

Abstract

Network science and engineering provide a flexible and generalizable tool set to describe and manipulate complex systems characterized by heterogeneous interaction patterns among component parts. While classically applied to social systems, these tools have recently proven to be particularly useful in the study of the brain. In this review, we describe the nascent use of these tools to understand human cognition, and we discuss their utility in informing the meaningful and predictable perturbation of cognition in combination with the emerging capabilities of neurofeedback. To blend these disparate strands of research, we build on emerging conceptualizations of how the brain functions (as a complex network) and how we can develop and target interventions or modulations (as a form of network control). We close with an outline of current frontiers that bridge neurofeedback, connectomics, and network control theory to better understand human cognition.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 09, 2017
Accession Number
AD1076739

Entities

People

  • Ankit Khambhati
  • Danielle S. Bassell

Organizations

  • University of Pennsylvania

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Brain
  • Brain Injuries
  • Cognition
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Complex Systems
  • Control Theory
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Graph Theory
  • Information Processing
  • Magnetic Resonance
  • Military Research
  • Network Science
  • Neuroimaging
  • Neurosciences
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Psychology

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Computer Networking
  • Neuroscience
  • Systems Analysis and Design