Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2025-10-29DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2025.2573891
Lois K Burnett, Sidonia E Compton, Michael K Scullin, Jared F Benge
{"title":"Bidirectionality and the application of the integrated neurocognitive model of technological cognition to late life cognitive health.","authors":"Lois K Burnett, Sidonia E Compton, Michael K Scullin, Jared F Benge","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2573891","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2573891","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRDs) are a pressing public health concern worldwide, and there is a need for innovative strategies to understand and address its impact. The integrated neurocognitive model introduced by Federico et al. (2025) integrates neural systems with everyday technology use and offers valuable implications for ADRD prevention, detection, and care. Future validation of the model could clarify mechanisms of resilience for late life cognitive health and inform clinical detection and intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"134-135"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13380858/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145400059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2025-11-07DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2025.2585996
Peter Gärdenfors
{"title":"The role of affordances in technological cognition.","authors":"Peter Gärdenfors","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2585996","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2585996","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The model of technological cognition presented by Federico et al. does not specify how information is processed in and between the different hubs. Following Cisek's proposal for an 'ecological' perspective on cognition, I discuss the role of affordances in action specification and action selection. Artifacts afford a multitude of action, but most of them must be learned. This involves learning new causal mappings from actions to effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"142-143"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145457813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2025-10-29DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2025.2573901
Gregory Kroliczak, Maciej Ras
{"title":"Area PFt is the parietal hub for goal-directed complex tool use, whether physical or digital.","authors":"Gregory Kroliczak, Maciej Ras","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2573901","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2573901","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The tenuicortical supramarginal gyrus, i.e., area PFt, as a node controlling tool use, multisensory integration, or even some aspects of language, can be considered a hub for causal/technical reasoning and, putatively, the control of technological artifacts. By analogy to its involvement in motor-to-mechanical goal-directed physical transformations associated with complex tool use, we suggest that it should also be invoked in more complex mental-to-digital goal-directed conceptual transformations supported by digital devices. Conversely, a simple 'outsourcing' of mental functions to a handy digital tool - by clicking or touch-selecting for a desired outcome - will not suffice to its engagement.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"150-151"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145400104","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-03-23DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2026.2647745
Giovanni Federico, Ciro Rosario Ilardi, Maria A Brandimonte, Paola Marangolo, François Osiurak
{"title":"Toward a cognitive neuroscience of technology.","authors":"Giovanni Federico, Ciro Rosario Ilardi, Maria A Brandimonte, Paola Marangolo, François Osiurak","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2026.2647745","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2026.2647745","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In our target article, we proposed a <i>hub-and-processors</i> model of <i>technological cognition</i>. The twelve commentaries that followed offer a rare opportunity to refine, extend and test that framework against new perspectives. We integrate their contributions into a revised synthesis. The parietal sites now gain sharper anatomical definition: core substrates of technical reasoning can be more clearly distinguished from adjacent regions supporting manipulation knowledge and mental-to-digital goal-directed conceptual transformations. The inferior frontal gyrus, in turn, emerges as a dual-function node - one that routes information across hubs while simultaneously meeting the planning and control demands of tool-related behavior. Beyond cortical organization, the commentaries push the framework toward white-matter connectivity, reward and motivational circuits, as well as affordance-based theoretical accounts spanning the physical, digital and symbolic domains. They also broaden the model's translational scope to aging, neurodegeneration, digital inclusion, and neurorehabilitation, and open new lines of inquiry into temporal dynamics, expertise, and cognitive extension. The cumulative result is a strengthened case for a <i>cognitive neuroscience of technology</i>: a mechanistic, translational and lifespan-oriented program aimed at understanding how the brain supports technology use, acquires technological skills and is, over time, reshaped by sustained engagement with technological artifacts.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"159-166"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147502982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2025-11-06DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2025.2585991
Stefano Federici, Maria Laura Mele, Rosella De Leonibus
{"title":"Enriching the neurocognitive model of technological cognition: the role of emotional and reward-related processes.","authors":"Stefano Federici, Maria Laura Mele, Rosella De Leonibus","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2585991","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2585991","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Federico et al. (this issue) present an integrated neurocognitive model of technological cognition encompassing causal-technical reasoning, semantic cognition, visuospatial abilities, motor control, and social learning. We propose extending this framework to include emotional and reward-related systems, particularly limbic circuits and episodic memory processes. These affective systems shape technological engagement, from adoption to problematic use, influencing salience, persistence, and emotional valence. The limbic system and frontostriatal circuits are integral components of technological cognition, working in concert with, rather than merely modulating, the core cognitive processes. Their integration enhances the model's explanatory power and bridges cognitive and affective neuroscience in understanding technological cognition.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"139-141"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145457897","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2025-08-12DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2025.2542195
Giovanni Federico, François Osiurak, Maria A Brandimonte, Paola Marangolo, Ciro Rosario Ilardi
{"title":"An integrated account for technological cognition.","authors":"Giovanni Federico, François Osiurak, Maria A Brandimonte, Paola Marangolo, Ciro Rosario Ilardi","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2542195","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2542195","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding how the human brain generates, utilizes, and adapts to technology is one of our most urgent scientific questions today. Recent advances in cognitive neuroscience reveal a complex neurocognitive structure that underpins human interaction with technology. Here, we propose an integrated framework that considers the interplay of causal reasoning, semantic cognition, visuospatial skills, sensorimotor knowledge, and social learning in shaping our technological abilities. Drawing on neuroimaging, lesion studies, and evolutionary evidence, we identify key brain regions that act as specialized <i>processors</i> and integrative <i>hubs</i> within a distributed network supporting 'technological cognition.' We argue that different categories of technologies - mechanical versus digital - activate separate neural subsystems, reflecting their diverse cognitive demands. Ultimately, we situate technological cognition within the broader concepts of <i>embodied cognition</i> and <i>extended mind</i> theories, suggesting that technology can expand human mental capacities and actively influence the structure and functioning of the mind itself. This framework advocates for an interdisciplinary approach to deepen our understanding of how technology influences and integrates with human cognition.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"115-127"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144834340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2025-11-21DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2025.2576114
Clara Seifert, Joachim Hermsdörfer
{"title":"Understanding the role of the frontal lobe in tool-use tasks: how much does it represent domain-general rather than domain-specific contribution?","authors":"Clara Seifert, Joachim Hermsdörfer","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2576114","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2576114","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>When using novel tools with low semantic content, the left inferior-frontal-gyrus (IFG) plays a role. We argue that this activation is not purely specific to novel tool use but rather represents part of a cross-domain cognitive network supporting sequential planning processes. The IFG does not only manage information flow between distributed areas but functionally contributes by maintaining focus on the intended target state and supporting the processing, monitoring, and adjustment of steps needed to achieve that goal. These cognitive functions are particularly important when compensation for reduced tool-related semantic knowledge is needed during the usage of novel tools and technologies.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"155-156"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145562950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2025-10-29DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2025.2573257
Cavaliere Carlo, Cirillo Giovanni
{"title":"On the clinical anatomy of technological cognition.","authors":"Cavaliere Carlo, Cirillo Giovanni","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2573257","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17588928.2025.2573257","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This commentary emphasizes the critical role of white matter tracts in technological cognition, complementing Federico et al.'s (2025) hub-and-processor model focused on cortical regions. Diffusion tensor imaging highlights white matter pathways as essential for integrating visuospatial, semantic, and motor information, underpinning complex tool use and technological interaction. The disconnectionist perspective reveals that cognitive deficits often arise from disrupted white matter connectivity. Additionally, the emerging concept of \"digital dementia\" underscores the impact of excessive digital exposure on brain networks. Integrating white matter connectivity advances clinical understanding and informs rehabilitation strategies for technological cognition deficits.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":"17 3","pages":"136-138"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148359726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2025-11-18DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2025.2585987
Solène Kalenine, Sarah E M Stoll, Jennifer Randerath
{"title":"From framework to function: sharpening digital tool use within technological cognition.","authors":"Solène Kalenine, Sarah E M Stoll, Jennifer Randerath","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2585987","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2585987","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Federico et al. present an interesting framework for technological cognition distinguishing mechanical and digital technologies within a distributed brain network. We build on this contribution by emphasizing two key issues for neuropsychology. First, greater weight on semantic processing may not suffice for efficient digital tool use: selection mechanisms are crucial for translating abstract goals into concrete action sequences. Second, digital technologies must be considered in terms of what they <i>offer</i> (functional opportunities) and what they <i>demand</i> (user skills). These distinctions clarify pathways for assessment, rehabilitation, and inclusion, and highlight open questions essential to advancing digital neuropsychology.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"146-149"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145548442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}