Perspective on equal and cross-frequency neural coupling: Integration and segregation of the function of brain networks

Abstract

We introduce a perspective that has not appeared before in the field of equal and multifrequency coupling derived from considering neuronal synchrony as a possible equivalence relation. The experimental results agree with the theoretical prediction that cross-frequency coupling results in a partition of the brain synchrony state space. We place these results in the framework of the integration and segregation of information in the processing of sensorimotor transformations by the brain cell circuits and propose that equal-frequency (1:1) connectivity favors integration of information in the brain whereas cross-frequency coupling (n:m) favors segregation. These observations may provide an outlook about how to reconcile the need for stability in the brain's operations with the requirement for diversity of activity in order to process many sensorimotor transformations simultaneously.