Neusklem

Neusklem is a hypothetical neural mechanism proposed to explain rapid, cross-network integration of information across distributed cortical areas. In speculative accounts, neusklem describes a transient, high-contrast synchronization of neuronal ensembles that binds contents from different modalities into a coherent percept, plan, or action. The process is envisioned as brief, typically lasting tens to hundreds of milliseconds, and is thought to be facilitated by phasic neuromodulatory input and dynamic reconfiguration of functional connectivity, including thalamocortical loops and long-range cortico-cortical pathways. The term combines neuro- with a coined suffix intended to evoke linking or clamping across networks.

Origin and theoretical role have varied in the literature. Neusklem was introduced in discussions of rapid cognitive integration in the early 2020s as a conceptual solution to the binding problem, rather than as an established physiological fact. It is often described as a coordinating mechanism that allows disparate neural representations to be momentarily united under a common attentional or task-related state.

Evidence and status are debated. Some EEG and MEG studies report brief increases in phase synchronization between distant regions during attention-demanding or multitasking conditions, interpreted as possible supporting data for neusklem. Animal work has shown transient cross-regional coherence in certain tasks, yet replication and interpretation remain contested. Critics argue that observed synchrony may arise from common input, volume conduction, or methodological artifacts, rather than true binding.

If substantiated, neusklem could illuminate how the brain achieves rapid, flexible integration without durable structural changes, with implications for models of cognitive control, working memory, and perceptual binding, and for understanding disorders characterized by disrupted cross-network communication. See also: neural binding, gamma oscillations, neural synchrony, thalamocortical rhythms, global workspace theory.