Overview: integrating computational, cognitive and clinical expertise to understand brain network recovery.

the brain process information in some coordinated spatial and temporal order to support cognition and behavior. In bridging between the neural dynamics and cognitive function, most theories have made use of traditional neuropsychological studies with patient populations, wherein cognitive functions are ascribed to the area(s) that are damaged in the patients. When complemented with neuroimaging, such information provides clues about “where” in the brain certain cognitive operations are likely to take place, but provides virtually no information on “how” this operation occurs. Perhaps one problem with making the translation to “how” is that we know so little about how the damaged brain operates. It is well-known that damage to specific brain regions results in widespread changes that compromise normal network functions. Disruption of a network – via damage to nodes or the connections among nodes – can result in cognitive and behavioral dysfunction. What is unclear is how much to attribute the dysfunction to the loss of the region per se, versus the operations of the dysfunctional network. It is clear that there would be main gains from a concerted exploration of the network dynamics of the damaged nervous system, both in terms of the initial responses and the factors that govern the course of recovery. A better appreciation of the network dynamics in the damaged nervous system can impact on two levels. First, in terms of neuroscience theory, if we find that many of the dysfunctions come about because of network reorganization, then this will change how we consider the translation of brain function to behavior. Second, examining the operations of the damaged brain from the perspective of interacting neural systems will provide new insights into the reorganization that takes place after damage. An increasingly prevalent idea in the field of cognitive rehabilitation is to design interventions exploiting “neural plasticity” to help individuals with brain damage develop “new strategies” for accomplishing tasks in everyday life – but it is not quite clear what rehabilitation professionals mean when they use such terms. Focusing directly on the operations of the damaged brain, we may be able to define better the conditions that determine how networks will reorganize (e.g., locations, severity, and extent of the neurological damage). Coupled with detailed neuropsychological and psychosocial information on the patient, new principles that govern brain network reorganization could better inform rehabilitation strategies. The articles collected in this Special Issue reflect the concerted effort of a group of researchers whose interests intersect in the areas of clinical, cognitive and computational neuroscience, with a thematic focus on network mechanisms of brain recovery (the Brain Network Recovery Group or Brain NRG: www.brainnrg.org). These papers capture our achievements over our first 5 years. The articles roughly align along two domains: one focused on Overview: integrating computational, cognitive and clinical expertise to understand brain network recovery