Metastability demystified - the foundational past, the pragmatic present and the promising future

Fran Hancock; Fernando E Rosas; Andrea I Luppi; Mengsen Zhang; Pedro A M Mediano; Joana Cabral; Gustavo Deco; Morten L Kringelbach; Michael Breakspear; J A Scott Kelso; Federico E Turkheimer

doi:10.1038/s41583-024-00883-1

Metastability demystified - the foundational past, the pragmatic present and the promising future

Fran Hancock, Fernando E Rosas, Andrea I Luppi, Mengsen Zhang, Pedro A M Mediano, Joana Cabral, Gustavo Deco, Morten L Kringelbach, Michael Breakspear, J A Scott Kelso, Federico E Turkheimer

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Healthy brain function depends on balancing stable integration between brain areas for effective coordinated functioning, with coexisting segregation that allows subsystems to express their functional specialization. Metastability, a concept from the dynamical systems literature, has been proposed as a key signature that characterizes this balance. Building on this principle, the neuroscience literature has leveraged the phenomenon of metastability to investigate various aspects of brain function in health and disease. However, this body of work often uses the notion of metastability heuristically, and sometimes inaccurately, making it difficult to navigate the vast literature, interpret findings and foster further development of theoretical and experimental methodologies. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of metastability and its applications in neuroscience, covering its scientific and historical foundations and the practical measures used to assess it in empirical data. We also provide a critical analysis of recent theoretical developments, clarifying common misconceptions and paving the road for future developments.

Original language	English
Article number	e1000072
Journal	Nature Reviews Neuroscience
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-024-00883-1
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 11 Dec 2024

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Hancock, F., Rosas, F. E., Luppi, A. I., Zhang, M., Mediano, P. A. M., Cabral, J., Deco, G., Kringelbach, M. L., Breakspear, M., Kelso, J. A. S., & Turkheimer, F. E. (2024). Metastability demystified - the foundational past, the pragmatic present and the promising future. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Article e1000072. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-024-00883-1

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abstract = "Healthy brain function depends on balancing stable integration between brain areas for effective coordinated functioning, with coexisting segregation that allows subsystems to express their functional specialization. Metastability, a concept from the dynamical systems literature, has been proposed as a key signature that characterizes this balance. Building on this principle, the neuroscience literature has leveraged the phenomenon of metastability to investigate various aspects of brain function in health and disease. However, this body of work often uses the notion of metastability heuristically, and sometimes inaccurately, making it difficult to navigate the vast literature, interpret findings and foster further development of theoretical and experimental methodologies. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of metastability and its applications in neuroscience, covering its scientific and historical foundations and the practical measures used to assess it in empirical data. We also provide a critical analysis of recent theoretical developments, clarifying common misconceptions and paving the road for future developments.",

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AU - Rosas, Fernando E

AU - Luppi, Andrea I

AU - Zhang, Mengsen

AU - Mediano, Pedro A M

AU - Cabral, Joana

AU - Deco, Gustavo

AU - Kringelbach, Morten L

AU - Breakspear, Michael

AU - Kelso, J A Scott

AU - Turkheimer, Federico E

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AB - Healthy brain function depends on balancing stable integration between brain areas for effective coordinated functioning, with coexisting segregation that allows subsystems to express their functional specialization. Metastability, a concept from the dynamical systems literature, has been proposed as a key signature that characterizes this balance. Building on this principle, the neuroscience literature has leveraged the phenomenon of metastability to investigate various aspects of brain function in health and disease. However, this body of work often uses the notion of metastability heuristically, and sometimes inaccurately, making it difficult to navigate the vast literature, interpret findings and foster further development of theoretical and experimental methodologies. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of metastability and its applications in neuroscience, covering its scientific and historical foundations and the practical measures used to assess it in empirical data. We also provide a critical analysis of recent theoretical developments, clarifying common misconceptions and paving the road for future developments.

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Metastability demystified - the foundational past, the pragmatic present and the promising future

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