Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42045209›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Nonergodicity and Simpson's paradox in neurocognitive dynamics of cognitive control.

Percy K Mistry, Nicholas K Branigan, Zhiyao Gao, Weidong Cai, Vinod Menon

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
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

5 authors.

Percy K Mistry *Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. percym@stanford.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-3055-4472
Nicholas K Branigan *Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. branigan@stanford.edu.ORCID 0009-0007-7305-5992
Zhiyao GaoDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8909-8096
Weidong CaiDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9581-7774
Vinod MenonDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. menon@stanford.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-1622-9857

Funding

National Science Foundation (NSF) 2024856U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) MH121069U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) MH124816
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Nonergodicity and Simpson's paradox present significant, yet underappreciated challenges in cognitive neuroscience. Leveraging brain imaging and behavioral data from over 4000 individuals and a Bayesian computational model of cognitive dynamics, we investigated brain-behavior relationships underlying cognitive control at both between-subjects and within-subjects levels. Strikingly, brain-behavior associations reversed across levels of analysis, revealing pervasive nonergodicity. Within-subjects analysis uncovered dissociated neural representations of reactive and proactive control and revealed that individuals who adaptively versus maladaptively regulated cognitive control exhibited distinct brain-behavior associations. Our findings demonstrate that between-subjects analyses can fundamentally mischaracterize within-individuals mechanisms, as group-level patterns not only disagreed with individual-level patterns but often reversed them. This work highlights the necessity of distinguishing between-subjects and within-subjects inferences in neuroscience, with implications for understanding cognitive mechanisms and designing personalized interventions.

Indexed as

BrainCognitionBayes TheoremBrain MappingFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMale

Identifiers

PMID42045209
PMCPMC13121725

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.