Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40764311›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Higher-order and distributed synergistic functional interactions encode information gain in goal-directed learning.

Etienne Combrisson, Ruggero Basanisi, Matteo Neri, Guillaume Auzias, Giovanni Petri, Daniele Marinazzo, Stefano Panzeri, Andrea Brovelli

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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  3. Review
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  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Etienne Combrisson *Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone UMR 7289, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, 13005, Marseille, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7362-3247
Ruggero Basanisi *Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone UMR 7289, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, 13005, Marseille, France.
Matteo NeriInstitut de Neurosciences de la Timone UMR 7289, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, 13005, Marseille, France.
Guillaume AuziasInstitut de Neurosciences de la Timone UMR 7289, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, 13005, Marseille, France.
Giovanni PetriNP Lab, Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, London, London, E1W 1LP, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1847-5031
Daniele MarinazzoDepartment of Data Analysis, Faculty of Psychological and Educational Sciences, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9803-0122
Stefano PanzeriInstitute for Neural Information Processing, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1700-8909
Andrea BrovelliInstitut de Neurosciences de la Timone UMR 7289, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, 13005, Marseille, France. andrea.brovelli@univ-amu.fr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5342-1330

Funding

Agence Nationale de la Recherche (French National Research Agency) ANR-18-CE28-0016
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Goal-directed learning arises from distributed neural circuits including the prefrontal, posterior parietal and temporal cortices. However, the role of cortico-cortical functional interactions remains unclear. To address this question, we integrated information dynamics analysis with magnetoencephalography to investigate the encoding of learning signals through neural interactions. Our findings revealed that information gain (the reduction in uncertainty about the causal relationship between actions and outcomes) is represented over the visual, parietal, lateral prefrontal and ventromedial/orbital prefrontal cortices. Cortico-cortical interactions encoded information gain synergistically at the level of pairwise and higher-order relations, such as triplets and quadruplets. Higher-order synergistic interactions were characterized by long-range relationships centered in the ventromedial and orbitofrontal cortices, which served as key receivers in the broadcast of information gain across cortical circuits. Overall, this study provides evidence that information gain is encoded through synergistic and higher-order functional interactions and is broadcast to prefrontal reward circuits.

Indexed as

GoalsLearningAdultBrain MappingFemaleHumansMagnetoencephalographyMalePrefrontal CortexRewardYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID40764311
PMCPMC12325950

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.