Communication models describe the flow of signals among nodes of a network. In neural systems, communication models are increasingly applied to investigate network dynamics across the whole brain, with the ultimate aim to understand how signal flow gives rise to brain function. Communication models range from diffusion-like processes to those related to infectious disease transmission and those inspired by engineered communication systems like the internet. This Focus Feature brings together novel investigations of a diverse range of mechanisms and strategies that could shape communication in mammal whole-brain networks.