A neuromodulation review distinguishes restoration from compensation

A review in October's Nature Neuroscience issue separates two goals for neuromodulation: restoring healthy-like activity and amplifying processes that compensate for lost function. The article was first published online in September.

The difference affects target selection. A useful recovery strategy may strengthen a remaining pathway rather than reproduce the exact activity pattern that existed before an injury.

The authors present a framework for designing and evaluating protocols across rehabilitation, aging and other settings. It is a perspective on how to ask better treatment questions, rather than a new clinical trial showing that one approach consistently outperforms the other.