# Rest assured: Dynamic functional connectivity and the baseline state of the human brain

## TL;DR

This paper suggests that the brain's baseline state is inherently unstable, causing dynamic functional connectivity not directly tied to cognition.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a new perspective that brain dynamics arise from an unstable baseline state rather than ongoing cognition.

## Key findings

- Dynamic functional connectivity is not solely due to ongoing cognition.
- The brain's baseline state is inherently unstable and generates neural dynamics.
- Resting-state experiments remain valuable for understanding these dynamics.

## Abstract

While dynamic functional connectivity remains controversial in human neuroimaging, the
transient nature of interareal coupling is considered a robust finding in other fields of
neuroscience. Nevertheless, the origin and interpretation of these dynamics are still
under debate. This letter argues that ongoing cognition is not sufficient to account for
dynamic functional connectivity. Instead, it is proposed that the baseline state of the
brain is inherently unstable, leading to dynamics that are of neural origin but not
directly implicated in cognition. This perspective also reinforces the usefulness of
conducting experiments during the resting state.