When comparing EEG coherence or PAC strength between two conditions or with a control baseline, these differences are often interpreted as falling along an axis of hypo-connectivity to hyper-connectivity (Gonzalez et al., 2016; Hu et al., 2010; Leocani & Comi, 1999). The application of this interpretive heuristic to PAC strength, as a measure of connectivity between neuronal populations oscillating at different frequencies, might similarly predict that decreased or increased PAC should both be associated with functional deficits or extremes of functioning. Supporting evidence for this interpretation includes reports of reduced PAC strength associated with diminished emotional face discrimination by those with autism spectrum disorder (Khan et al., 2013), lower cognitive functioning scores in patients with mild cognitive impairment (Musaeus et al., 2020), and poor sleep quality in Insomnia disorder (Guo et al., 2023), while excessive PAC magnitude has been associated with pathological symptoms in obsessive compulsive disorder (Bahramisharif et al., 2016; Treu et al., 2021; Yakubov et al., 2022), and in Parkinson’s disease (de Hemptinne et al., 2013; López-Azcárate et al., 2010; van Wijk et al., 2016; Yin et al.,
