Affective network neuroscience

Abstract

The last years have seen the rise of a new paradigm in human neuroimaging: network neuroscience (Bassett and Sporns, 2017). Network neuroscience conceptualizes the brain as a connectome—an intricate network map of the brain where brain regions synchronize their activity via myriads of interconnecting nerve fibers. Network neuroscience is an interdisciplinary endeavor whose potential for cognitive science, the study of individual differences, and clinical research has been highlighted in several recent articles (Braun et al., 2015; Medaglia et al., 2015; Markett et al., 2018; Tompson et al., 2018). In the following, we will argue that network neuroscience provides an innovative toolbox that can also advance our understanding of affective processes in the brain, particularly when guided by (neuro)psychological theory.