Toward a cognitive neuroscience of technology

In our target article, we proposed a <i>hub-and-processors</i> model of <i>technological cognition</i>. The twelve commentaries that followed offer a rare opportunity to refine, extend and test that framework against new perspectives. We integrate their contributions into a revised synthesis. The parietal sites now gain sharper anatomical definition: core substrates of technical reasoning can be more clearly distinguished from adjacent regions supporting manipulation knowledge and mental-to-digital goal-directed conceptual transformations. The inferior frontal gyrus, in turn, emerges as a dual-function node - one that routes information across hubs while simultaneously meeting the planning and control demands of tool-related behavior. Beyond cortical organization, the commentaries push the framework toward white-matter connectivity, reward and motivational circuits, as well as affordance-based theoretical accounts spanning the physical, digital and symbolic domains. They also broaden the model's translational scope to aging, neurodegeneration, digital inclusion, and neurorehabilitation, and open new lines of inquiry into temporal dynamics, expertise, and cognitive extension. The cumulative result is a strengthened case for a <i>cognitive neuroscience of technology</i>: a mechanistic, translational and lifespan-oriented program aimed at understanding how the brain supports technology use, acquires technological skills and is, over time, reshaped by sustained engagement with technological artifacts.

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Publication Details

Journal
Cognitive Neuroscience
Published
2026-03-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/17588928.2026.2647745
Primary Topic
Cognitive Science and Education Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Toward a cognitive neuroscience of technology

Ciro Rosario Ilardi, Giovanni Federico, François Osiurak, Maria A. Brandimonte et al.
Cognitive Neuroscience
Cognitive Science and Education Research
article

Toward a cognitive neuroscience of technology

Ciro Rosario Ilardi, Giovanni Federico, François Osiurak, Maria A. Brandimonte, Paola Marangolo
article en

Abstract

In our target article, we proposed a <i>hub-and-processors</i> model of <i>technological cognition</i>. The twelve commentaries that followed offer a rare opportunity to refine, extend and test that framework against new perspectives. We integrate their contributions into a revised synthesis. The parietal sites now gain sharper anatomical definition: core substrates of technical reasoning can be more clearly distinguished from adjacent regions supporting manipulation knowledge and mental-to-digital goal-directed conceptual transformations. The inferior frontal gyrus, in turn, emerges as a dual-function node - one that routes information across hubs while simultaneously meeting the planning and control demands of tool-related behavior. Beyond cortical organization, the commentaries push the framework toward white-matter connectivity, reward and motivational circuits, as well as affordance-based theoretical accounts spanning the physical, digital and symbolic domains. They also broaden the model's translational scope to aging, neurodegeneration, digital inclusion, and neurorehabilitation, and open new lines of inquiry into temporal dynamics, expertise, and cognitive extension. The cumulative result is a strengthened case for a <i>cognitive neuroscience of technology</i>: a mechanistic, translational and lifespan-oriented program aimed at understanding how the brain supports technology use, acquires technological skills and is, over time, reshaped by sustained engagement with technological artifacts.

Cognitive Neuroscience
Institut Universitaire de France (FR), Université de Lyon (FR), Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa (IT), Environnement, ville, société (FR), Federico II University Hospital (IT)
Openalex Percentile: Top 15%
Cognitive Science and Education Research
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Toward a cognitive neuroscience of technology — Ciro Rosario Ilardi, Giovanni Federico, et al. · Cognitive Neuroscience (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS