Is it time to put rest to rest?. Issue 12 (December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Finn, Emily S.
• Is Part Of: Trends in cognitive sciences. Volume 25:Issue 12(2021)
• Page Start: 1021
• Page End: 1032
• Publication Date: 2021-12
• Subjects: resting state -- task-based -- functional connectivity -- naturalistic tasks -- brain–behavior prediction; Cognitive science -- Periodicals; Cognitive neuroscience -- Periodicals; 153.05
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.09.005
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1364-6613

Abstract

Abstract : The so-called resting state, in which participants lie quietly with no particular inputs or outputs, represented a paradigm shift from conventional task-based studies in human neuroimaging. Our foray into rest was fruitful from both a scientific and methodological perspective, but at this point, how much more can we learn from rest on its own? While rest still dominates in many subfields, data from tasks have empirically demonstrated benefits, as well as the potential to provide insights about the mind in addition to the brain. I argue that we can accelerate progress in human neuroscience by de-emphasizing rest in favor of more grounded experiments, including promising integrated designs that respect the prominence of self-generated activity while offering enhanced control and interpretability. Highlights: Studying brain function at rest – that is, absent any experimenter-imposed task – has grown immensely popular over the last few decades and now accounts for a large share of human neuroimaging research. While resting-state research gave us new analysis methods and a broadened perspective on brain functional architecture, it suffers from fundamental limitations that place a ceiling on the insights we can draw from it. Data acquired during tasks have empirical benefits, including enhanced interpretability and sensitivity to brain–behavior relationships. At this point, progress in human neuroscience is most likely to come from third-wave paradigms that reintroduce task-like manipulations and/or pair imaging data with additional measurements, providing more anchor points for understanding the brain and mind.