A call for more clarity around causality in neuroscience

David L Barack; Earl K Miller; Christopher I Moore; Adam M Packer; Luiz Pessoa; Lauren N Ross; Nicole C Rust

doi:10.1016/j.tins.2022.06.003

A call for more clarity around causality in neuroscience

Trends Neurosci. 2022 Sep;45(9):654-655. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2022.06.003. Epub 2022 Jul 6.

Authors

David L Barack¹, Earl K Miller², Christopher I Moore³, Adam M Packer⁴, Luiz Pessoa⁵, Lauren N Ross⁶, Nicole C Rust⁷

Affiliations

¹ Departments of Neuroscience and Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: dbarack@gmail.com.
² The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. Electronic address: ekmiller@mit.edu.
³ Carney Institute for Brain Science, Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. Electronic address: christopher_moore@brown.edu.
⁴ Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. Electronic address: adampacker@gmail.com.
⁵ Department of Psychology and Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA. Electronic address: pessoa@umd.edu.
⁶ Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA. Electronic address: rossl@uci.edu.
⁷ Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: nrust@psych.upenn.edu.

Abstract

In neuroscience, the term 'causality' is used to refer to different concepts, leading to confusion. Here we illustrate some of those variations, and we suggest names for them. We then introduce four ways to enhance clarity around causality in neuroscience.

Keywords: causality; inactivation; perturbation; stimulation.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Causality
Humans
Neurosciences*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding