Improving Brain-Behaviour Causality with Neurofeedback
Abstract
A robust and reliable causal mapping of human brain function requires ruling out multiple sources of bias and confounding. New standards for causal inference suggest that the causal evidence provided by traditional methods, such as lesion mapping and non-invasive brain stimulation, may have critical gaps. Based on recent evidence, we discuss how brain-behaviour causality has been assessed in humans with well-established tools, and the extent to which emerging techniques, such as neurofeedback, provide additional insights. Finally, we introduce the Causal-Neurofeedback, a unifying framework based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that dictates experimental and analytical choices designed to address new standards for causality with high granularity. This framework consists of manipulating fine-grained neural signatures and adopting key experimental and analytical control strategies to improve causal robustness. We conclude by discussing the potential of neurofeedback, through this framework, to provide robust causal evidence across diverse experimental contexts.
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BibTeX
@misc{marins2026improving,
title = {{Improving Brain-Behaviour Causality with Neurofeedback}},
author = {Theo Ferreira Marins and Michal Ramot and Aurelio Cortese and Ranganatha Sitaram and Guilherme Wood},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/udyg6_v2},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/udyg6_v2/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Improving Brain-Behaviour Causality with Neurofeedback
AU - Theo Ferreira Marins
AU - Michal Ramot
AU - Aurelio Cortese
AU - Ranganatha Sitaram
AU - Guilherme Wood
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/udyg6_v2
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/udyg6_v2/
AB - A robust and reliable causal mapping of human brain function requires ruling out multiple sources of bias and confounding. New standards for causal inference suggest that the causal evidence provided by traditional methods, such as lesion mapping and non-invasive brain stimulation, may have critical gaps. Based on recent evidence, we discuss how brain-behaviour causality has been assessed in humans with well-established tools, and the extent to which emerging techniques, such as neurofeedback, provide additional insights. Finally, we introduce the Causal-Neurofeedback, a unifying framework based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that dictates experimental and analytical choices designed to address new standards for causality with high granularity. This framework consists of manipulating fine-grained neural signatures and adopting key experimental and analytical control strategies to improve causal robustness. We conclude by discussing the potential of neurofeedback, through this framework, to provide robust causal evidence across diverse experimental contexts.
ER -