Cognitive flexibility as the shifting of brain network flows by flexible neural representations

Abstract

Our ability to overcome habitual responses in favor of goal-driven novel responses depends on frontoparietal cognitive control networks (CCNs). Recent and ongoing work is revealing the brain network and information processes that allow CCNs to generate cognitive flexibility. First, working memory processes necessary for flexible maintenance and manipulation of goal-relevant representations were recently found to depend on short-term network plasticity (in contrast to persistent activity) within CCN regions. Second, compositional (i.e., abstract and reusable) rule representations maintained within CCNs have been found to reroute network activity flows from stimulus to response, enabling flexible behavior. Together these findings suggest cognitive flexibility is enhanced by CCN-coordinated network mechanisms, utilizing compositional reuse of neural representations and network flows to flexibly accomplish task goals.