Raw Cognition Rhythms as Dynamic Constraints
JoLMA December 9, 2020 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.30687/jolma/2723-9640/2020/02/003
Summary
Rhythmic interactions between oscillators in the body and brain are increasingly recognized as fundamental to cognition. This article argues that understanding rhythm as an open entrainment process helps enactive approaches explain how oscillators in the body, brain, and environment act as nested dynamic constraints. These constraints, through neuronal and non-neuronal interactions, coordinate different domains while preserving their distinct functions.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Rhythm as open entrainment allows enactive approaches to view oscillators in body, brain, and environment as nested dynamic constraints that coordinate cognition through interactions across domains. |
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that the rhythmic interactions between intrinsic oscillators both in the body and in the brain play a constitutive role in cognition. However, the mechanisms and extent of these interactions are yet to be fully understood. In this article, I will contend that a notion of rhythm as an open entrainment can be useful for enactive approaches to different aspects of cognition. It allows us to think of the different oscillators that we find in the body, the brain, and the environment as nested dynamic constraints that through neuronal and non-neuronal interactions tie together the different domains while retaining their specific functions.