Abstract
To further advance our understanding of the brain, new concepts and theories are needed. In particular, the ability of the brain to create information flows must be reconciled with its propensity for synchronization and mass action. The theoretical and empirical framework of Coordination Dynamics, a key aspect of which is metastability, are presented as a starting point to study the interplay of integrative and segregative tendencies that are expressed in space and time during the normal course of brain and behavioral function. Some recent shifts in perspective are emphasized, that may ultimately lead to a better understanding of brain complexity.
Highlights
To further advance our understanding of the brain, new concepts and theories are needed
The theoretical and empirical framework of Coordination Dynamics, a key aspect of which is metastability, are presented as a starting point to study the interplay of integrative and segregative tendencies that are expressed in space and time during the normal course of brain and behavioral function
Transfer of information became a principal tenet of brain function, and theories went so far as to conceive of “centers” (Charcot, 1878; see perspectives in Catani and ffytche, 2005) as final destinations for information to be communicated (the concept has retreated, it remains perniciously present in neuroscientists’ conceptions of brain hierarchies1 (e.g., Meunier et al, 2010); an alternate view is that it is the journey, 1Clearly, the brain is not a diffuse web of randomly coupled dynamical systems
Summary
To further advance our understanding of the brain, new concepts and theories are needed. The theoretical and empirical framework of Coordination Dynamics, a key aspect of which is metastability, are presented as a starting point to study the interplay of integrative and segregative tendencies that are expressed in space and time during the normal course of brain and behavioral function.
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