A multi-demand operating system underlying diverse cognitive tasks.

The existence of a multiple-demand cortical system with an adaptive, domain-general, role in cognition has been proposed, but the underlying dynamic mechanisms and their links to cognitive control abilities are poorly understood. Here we use a probabilistic generative Bayesian model of brain circuit dynamics to determine dynamic brain states across multiple cognitive domains, independent datasets, and participant groups, including task fMRI data from Human Connectome Project, Dual Mechanisms of Cognitive Control study and a neurodevelopment study. We discover a shared brain state across seven distinct cognitive tasks and found that the dynamics of this shared brain state predicted cognitive control abilities in each task. Our findings reveal the flexible engagement of dynamic brain processes across multiple cognitive domains and participant groups, and uncover the generative mechanisms underlying the functioning of a domain-general cognitive operating system. Our computational framework opens promising avenues for probing neurocognitive function and dysfunction.