Dynamic functional connectivity: causative or epiphenomenal?

Abstract

Dynamic coupling of neural signals is a hallmark of brain networks, but its potential relevance is still debated. Does coupling play a causal role for network functions, or is it just a by-product of structural connectivity or other physiological processes? With intervention techniques that have become available, experiments seem within reach that may provide answers to this long-standing question.

Keywords: envelope correlation; functional connectivity; intrinsic coupling modes; neurostimulation; optogenetics; phase coupling.