By skyforbes Brain connectivity systematically scaled down with the amount of external support: the Brain‑only group exhibited the strongest, widest‑ranging networks, Search Engine group showed intermediate engagement, and LLM assistance elicited the weakest overall coupling. Activations and connectivity were the most prominent in the Brain-Only group, which consistently exhibited the highest total dDTF connectivity across alpha, theta, and delta bands, particularly in temporo-parietal and frontal executive regions. This was followed by the Search Engine group, which demonstrated approximately 34-48% lower total connectivity across the brain depending on frequency band, especially in lower frequencies. The LLM group showed the least extensive connectivity, with up to 55% reduced total dDTF magnitude compared to the Brain-Only group in low-frequency semantic and monitoring networks.
Collectively, these findings support the view that external support tools restructure not only task performance but also the underlying cognitive architecture. The Brain-only group leveraged broad, distributed neural networks for internally generated content; the Search Engine group relied on hybrid strategies of visual information management and regulatory control; and the LLM group optimized for procedural integration of AI-generated suggestions.
The paper itself is very interesting and thorough (and 206 pages). If that's too long for you to read, the authors have provided a "how to read" section including the TL;DR and key takeaways. You can also just have your LLM of choice summarize it if you are weak of mind and will. I'm curious to see the general thoughts on this topic from regular users?