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Causation in neuroscience: keeping mechanism meaningful

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 25, pages 81–90 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

A fundamental goal of research in neuroscience is to uncover the causal structure of the brain. This focus on causation makes sense, because causal information can provide explanations of brain function and identify reliable targets with which to understand cognitive function and prevent or change neurological conditions and psychiatric disorders. In this research, one of the most frequently used causal concepts is ‘mechanism’ — this is seen in the literature and language of the field, in grant and funding inquiries that specify what research is supported, and in journal guidelines on which contributions are considered for publication. In these contexts, mechanisms are commonly tied to expressions of the main aims of the field and cited as the ‘fundamental’, ‘foundational’ and/or ‘basic’ unit for understanding the brain. Despite its common usage and perceived importance, mechanism is used in different ways that are rarely distinguished. Given that this concept is defined in different ways throughout the field — and that there is often no clarification of which definition is intended — there remains a marked ambiguity about the fundamental goals, orientation and principles of the field. Here we provide an overview of causation and mechanism from the perspectives of neuroscience and philosophy of science, in order to address these challenges.

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Fig. 1: The narrow and broad notions of mechanism.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank J. Woodward for helpful comments on this manuscript. This work was supported by an NSF Career Award and Templeton Foundation Grant to L.N.R.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Lauren N. Ross

  2. Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Dani S. Bassett

  3. Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Dani S. Bassett

  4. Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Dani S. Bassett

  5. Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Dani S. Bassett

  6. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Dani S. Bassett

  7. Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA

    Dani S. Bassett

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  1. Lauren N. Ross
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The authors both contributed to all aspects of the article preparation.

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Correspondence to Lauren N. Ross.

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Nature Reviews Neuroscience thanks K. Friston; S. Genon, who co-reviewed with C. Rathkopf; and M. Halina for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Glossary

Causation

The relationship between cause and effect, which provides information about explanation and control (unlike relationships that are merely correlational).

Classification

Any organization or ordering of entities into categories.

Description

Any specification of a system or its features, which need not convey causal information.

Explanation

An answer to scientific ‘why’ questions, which often cites causes or causal structure.

Philosophy of science

An area of philosophy that concerns the methods, reasoning, concepts and foundations of science.

Prediction

An estimate of future outcomes or forecasting, which need not require causal information.

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Ross, L.N., Bassett, D.S. Causation in neuroscience: keeping mechanism meaningful. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 25, 81–90 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-023-00778-7

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