Complementary frontoparietal and corticothalamic contributions to relational reasoning

Complex reasoning requires frontal, parietal, and thalamic systems to manage increasing relational demands, yet the underlying circuit mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we combined EEG with biologically grounded corticothalamic neural field modelling while participants solved relational problems of graded complexity. Successful reasoning was associated with dissociable frontoparietal dynamics. Frontal regions showed increased theta-band power, whereas parietal regions showed reduced alpha- and beta-band power. Neural field modelling linked these dynamics to complementary complexity-dependent circuit adaptations. Parietal regions showed modulation of intracortical and corticothalamic gains, intrathalamic inhibition, prolonged loop delays, and faster synaptic filtering, whereas frontal regions primarily adjusted intracortical gains in a manner consistent with maintaining local excitatory–inhibitory balance and supporting longer temporal integration windows. Together, these empirical and model-derived insights demonstrate that problem-solving under increasing reasoning demand relies not simply on greater frontoparietal engagement, but on additional, region-specific reconfigurations of cortical and corticothalamic circuits.