New ERC Advanced Grant:
Causal roles of intrinsic coupling modes: an integrated framework for cognitive network dynamics (cICMs)
My second Advanced Grant has been approved by the ERC
The cICMs project runs from July 2023 to June 2028
Functional coupling is a hallmark of brain networks, and there is a wealth of studies that have observed a relation between functional connectivity and cognition or sensorimotor processing. However, the vast majority of studies on this topic are correlative in nature, and causal evidence for the role of functional coupling is almost completely lacking. The cICMs project aims to fill this gap. We focus on two different types of intrinsic coupling modes (ICMs): phase ICMs, arising from phase coupling of oscillatory signals, and envelope ICMs, resulting from coupled fluctuations of signal envelopes. We manipulate, analyze and model the different types of ICMs with the aim to establish an integrated view on their functions and interrelations which currently is still lacking. The neurophysiological experiments are complemented by information-theoretic analyses and computational modeling. This research program aims to develop an integrated multiscale framework for ICMs that is likely to have far-reaching implications for a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying cognition and the complexity of the human mind.
