Formalizing psychological interventions through network control theory.

Despite the growing deployment of network representation to comprehend psychological phenomena, the question of whether and how networks can effectively describe the effects of psychological interventions remains elusive. Network control theory, the engineering study of networked interventions, has recently emerged as a viable methodology to characterize and guide interventions. However, there is a scarcity of empirical studies testing the extent to which it can be useful within a psychological context.

Network controllability measures of subnetworks: implications for neurosciences.

Recent progress in network sciences has made it possible to apply key findings from control theory to the study of networks. Referred to as network control theory, this framework describes how the interactions between interconnected system elements and external energy sources, potentially constrained by different optimality criteria, result in complex network behavior. A typical example is the quantification of the functional role certain brain regions or symptoms play in shaping the temporal dynamics of brain activity or the clinical course of a disease, a property that is quantified in terms of the so-called controllability metrics.