Atypical core-periphery brain dynamics in autism

The intrinsic function of the human brain is dynamic, giving rise to numerous behavioral subtypes that fluctuate distinctively at multiple timescales. One of the key dynamical processes that takes place in the brain is the interaction between core-periphery brain regions, which undergoes constant fluctuations associated with developmental time frames. Core-periphery dynamical changes associated with macroscale brain network dynamics span multiple timescales and may lead to atypical behavior and clinical symptoms. For example, recent evidence suggests that brain regions with shorter intrinsic timescales are located at the periphery of brain networks (e.g. sensorimotor hand, face areas) and are implicated in perception and movement. On the contrary, brain regions with longer timescales are core hub regions. These hubs are important for regulating interactions between the brain and the body during self-related cognition and emotion. In this review, we summarize a large body of converging evidence derived from timeresolved fMRI studies in autism to characterize atypical core-periphery brain dynamics and how they relate to core and contextual sensory and cognitive profiles.

Download Full-text

Frequency-dependent organization of the brain’s functional network through delayed-interactions

10.1101/754622 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Abolfazl Ziaeemehr ◽

Mina Zarei ◽

Alireza Valizadeh ◽

Claudio R. Mirasso

Keyword(s):

Spatial Scales ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Brain Network ◽

Modular Structure ◽

Brain Dynamics ◽

Theoretical Argument ◽

Frequency Bands ◽

Global Synchrony ◽

Asynchronous State ◽

The Brain

AbstractThe structure of the brain network shows modularity at multiple spatial scales. The effect of the modular structure on the brain dynamics has been the focus of several studies in recent years but many aspects remain to be explored. For example, it is not well-known how the delays in the transmission of signals between the neurons and the brain regions, interact with the modular structure to determine the brain dynamics. In this paper, we show an important impact of the delays on the collective dynamics of the brain network with modular structure; that is, the degree of the synchrony between different brain regions is dependent on the frequency. In particular, we show that increasing the frequency the network transits from a global synchrony state to an asynchronous state, through a transition region over which the local synchrony inside the modules is stronger than the global synchrony. When the delays are dependent on the distance between the nodes, the modular structure of different spatial scales appears in the correlation matrix over different specific frequency bands, so that, finer spatial modular structure reveal in higher frequency bands. The results are justified by a simple theoretical argument and elaborated by simulations on several simplified modular networks and the connectome with different spatial resolutions.

Download Full-text

The brain dynamics of architectural affordances during transition

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82504-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zakaria Djebbara ◽

Lars Brorson Fich ◽

Klaus Gramann

Keyword(s):

Occipital Cortex ◽

The Body ◽

Brain Dynamics ◽

Alpha Band ◽

Time Frequency ◽

Posterior Cingulate ◽

Sensory Signals ◽

Event Related Desynchronization ◽

The Brain ◽

Attentional Mechanisms

AbstractAction is a medium of collecting sensory information about the environment, which in turn is shaped by architectural affordances. Affordances characterize the fit between the physical structure of the body and capacities for movement and interaction with the environment, thus relying on sensorimotor processes associated with exploring the surroundings. Central to sensorimotor brain dynamics, the attentional mechanisms directing the gating function of sensory signals share neuronal resources with motor-related processes necessary to inferring the external causes of sensory signals. Such a predictive coding approach suggests that sensorimotor dynamics are sensitive to architectural affordances that support or suppress specific kinds of actions for an individual. However, how architectural affordances relate to the attentional mechanisms underlying the gating function for sensory signals remains unknown. Here we demonstrate that event-related desynchronization of alpha-band oscillations in parieto-occipital and medio-temporal regions covary with the architectural affordances. Source-level time–frequency analysis of data recorded in a motor-priming Mobile Brain/Body Imaging experiment revealed strong event-related desynchronization of the alpha band to originate from the posterior cingulate complex, the parahippocampal region as well as the occipital cortex. Our results firstly contribute to the understanding of how the brain resolves architectural affordances relevant to behaviour. Second, our results indicate that the alpha-band originating from the occipital cortex and parahippocampal region covaries with the architectural affordances before participants interact with the environment, whereas during the interaction, the posterior cingulate cortex and motor areas dynamically reflect the affordable behaviour. We conclude that the sensorimotor dynamics reflect behaviour-relevant features in the designed environment.

Download Full-text

A Computational Network Control Theory Analysis of Depression Symptoms

Personality Neuroscience ◽

10.1017/pen.2018.15 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yoed N. Kenett ◽

Roger E. Beaty ◽

John D. Medaglia

Keyword(s):

Control Theory ◽

Diffusion Tensor ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Brain Network ◽

Network Control ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Theory Approach ◽

Imaging Data ◽

The Brain ◽

Subclinical Depression

AbstractRumination and impaired inhibition are considered core characteristics of depression. However, the neurocognitive mechanisms that contribute to these atypical cognitive processes remain unclear. To address this question, we apply a computational network control theory approach to structural brain imaging data acquired via diffusion tensor imaging in a large sample of participants, to examine how network control theory relates to individual differences in subclinical depression. Recent application of this theory at the neural level is built on a model of brain dynamics, which mathematically models patterns of inter-region activity propagated along the structure of an underlying network. The strength of this approach is its ability to characterize the potential role of each brain region in regulating whole-brain network function based on its anatomical fingerprint and a simplified model of node dynamics. We find that subclinical depression is negatively related to higher integration abilities in the right anterior insula, replicating and extending previous studies implicating atypical switching between the default mode and Executive Control Networks in depression. We also find that subclinical depression is related to the ability to “drive” the brain system into easy to reach neural states in several brain regions, including the bilateral lingual gyrus and lateral occipital gyrus. These findings highlight brain regions less known in their role in depression, and clarify their roles in driving the brain into different neural states related to depression symptoms.

Download Full-text

A Graphlet-Based Topological Characterization of the Resting-State Network in Healthy People

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.665544 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Paolo Finotelli ◽

Carlo Piccardi ◽

Edie Miglio ◽

Paolo Dulio

Keyword(s):

Resting State ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Brain Network ◽

Induced Subgraphs ◽

Topological Characterization ◽

Network Information ◽

The Subject ◽

Euclidean Distances ◽

The Brain

In this paper, we propose a graphlet-based topological algorithm for the investigation of the brain network at resting state (RS). To this aim, we model the brain as a graph, where (labeled) nodes correspond to specific cerebral areas and links are weighted connections determined by the intensity of the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Then, we select a number of working graphlets, namely, connected and non-isomorphic induced subgraphs. We compute, for each labeled node, its Graphlet Degree Vector (GDV), which allows us to associate a GDV matrix to each one of the 133 subjects of the considered sample, reporting how many times each node of the atlas “touches” the independent orbits defined by the graphlet set. We focus on the 56 independent columns (i.e., non-redundant orbits) of the GDV matrices. By aggregating their count all over the 133 subjects and then by sorting each column independently, we obtain a sorted node table, whose top-level entries highlight the nodes (i.e., brain regions) most frequently touching each of the 56 independent graphlet orbits. Then, by pairwise comparing the columns of the sorted node table in the top-k entries for various values of k, we identify sets of nodes that are consistently involved with high frequency in the 56 independent graphlet orbits all over the 133 subjects. It turns out that these sets consist of labeled nodes directly belonging to the default mode network (DMN) or strongly interacting with it at the RS, indicating that graphlet analysis provides a viable tool for the topological characterization of such brain regions. We finally provide a validation of the graphlet approach by testing its power in catching network differences. To this aim, we encode in a Graphlet Correlation Matrix (GCM) the network information associated with each subject then construct a subject-to-subject Graphlet Correlation Distance (GCD) matrix based on the Euclidean distances between all possible pairs of GCM. The analysis of the clusters induced by the GCD matrix shows a clear separation of the subjects in two groups, whose relationship with the subject characteristics is investigated.

Download Full-text

Graph Theory-Based Brain Network Connectivity Analysis and Classification of Alzheimer’s Disease

International Journal of Image and Graphics ◽

10.1142/s021946782240006x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

A. Thushara ◽

C. Ushadevi Amma ◽

Ansamma John

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Graph Theory ◽

Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽

Brain Networks ◽

Network Connectivity ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Brain Network ◽

Fiber Tracts ◽

The Brain

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is basically a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with abnormal brain networks that affect millions of elderly people and degrades their quality of life. The abnormalities in brain networks are due to the disruption of White Matter (WM) fiber tracts that connect the brain regions. Diffusion-Weighted Imaging (DWI) captures the brain’s WM integrity. Here, the correlation betwixt the WM degeneration and also AD is investigated by utilizing graph theory as well as Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. By using the DW image obtained from Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database, the brain graph of each subject is constructed. The features extracted from the brain graph form the basis to differentiate between Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), Control Normal (CN) and AD subjects. Performance evaluation is done using binary and multiclass classification algorithms and obtained an accuracy that outperforms the current top-notch DWI-based studies.

Download Full-text

Transient brain networks underlying interpersonal strategies during synchronized action

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience ◽

10.1093/scan/nsaa056 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ole Adrian Heggli ◽

Ivana Konvalinka ◽

Joana Cabral ◽

Elvira Brattico ◽

Morten L Kringelbach ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Computational Models ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Brain Network ◽

Human Interaction ◽

Action Perception ◽

Network Information ◽

Mutual Adaptation ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

The Brain

Abstract Interpersonal coordination is a core part of human interaction, and its underlying mechanisms have been extensively studied using social paradigms such as joint finger-tapping. Here, individual and dyadic differences have been found to yield a range of dyadic synchronization strategies, such as mutual adaptation, leading–leading, and leading–following behaviour, but the brain mechanisms that underlie these strategies remain poorly understood. To identify individual brain mechanisms underlying emergence of these minimal social interaction strategies, we contrasted EEG-recorded brain activity in two groups of musicians exhibiting the mutual adaptation and leading–leading strategies. We found that the individuals coordinating via mutual adaptation exhibited a more frequent occurrence of phase-locked activity within a transient action–perception-related brain network in the alpha range, as compared to the leading–leading group. Furthermore, we identified parietal and temporal brain regions that changed significantly in the directionality of their within-network information flow. Our results suggest that the stronger weight on extrinsic coupling observed in computational models of mutual adaptation as compared to leading–leading might be facilitated by a higher degree of action–perception network coupling in the brain.

Download Full-text

Abnormal Functional Brain Network in Parkinson's Disease and the Effect of Acute Deep Brain Stimulation

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.715455 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Zhibao Li ◽

Chong Liu ◽

Qiao Wang ◽

Kun Liang ◽

Chunlei Han ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Deep Brain Stimulation ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Frequency Band ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Brain Network ◽

Clustering Coefficient ◽

Functional Brain ◽

Frequency Bands ◽

The Brain ◽

Deep Brain

Objective: The objective of this study was to use functional connectivity and graphic indicators to investigate the abnormal brain network topological characteristics caused by Parkinson's disease (PD) and the effect of acute deep brain stimulation (DBS) on those characteristics in patients with PD.Methods: We recorded high-density EEG (256 channels) data from 21 healthy controls (HC) and 20 patients with PD who were in the DBS-OFF state and DBS-ON state during the resting state with eyes closed. A high-density EEG source connectivity method was used to identify functional brain networks. Power spectral density (PSD) analysis was compared between the groups. Functional connectivity was calculated for 68 brain regions in the theta (4–8 Hz), alpha (8–13 Hz), beta1 (13–20 Hz), and beta2 (20–30 Hz) frequency bands. Network estimates were measured at both the global (network topology) and local (inter-regional connection) levels.Results: Compared with HC, PSD was significantly increased in the theta (p = 0.003) frequency band and was decreased in the beta1 (p = 0.009) and beta2 (p = 0.04) frequency bands in patients with PD. However, there were no differences in any frequency bands between patients with PD with DBS-OFF and DBS-ON. The clustering coefficient and local efficiency of patients with PD showed a significant decrease in the alpha, beta1, and beta2 frequency bands (p < 0.001). In addition, edgewise statistics showed a significant difference between the HC and patients with PD in all analyzed frequency bands (p < 0.005). However, there were no significant differences between the DBS-OFF state and DBS-ON state in the brain network, except for the functional connectivity in the beta2 frequency band (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Compared with HC, patients with PD showed the following characteristics: slowed EEG background activity, decreased clustering coefficient and local efficiency of the brain network, as well as both increased and decreased functional connectivity between different brain areas. Acute DBS induces a local response of the brain network in patients with PD, mainly showing decreased functional connectivity in a few brain regions in the beta2 frequency band.

Download Full-text

Multilayer Network Approach in EEG Motor Imagery with an Adaptive Threshold

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21248305 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (24) ◽

pp. 8305

Author(s):

César Covantes-Osuna ◽

Jhonatan B. López ◽

Omar Paredes ◽

Hugo Vélez-Pérez ◽

Rebeca Romo-Vázquez

Keyword(s):

Motor Imagery ◽

Brain Connectivity ◽

Single Layer ◽

Network Models ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Adaptive Threshold ◽

Brain Network ◽

Multilayer Network ◽

Brain Models ◽

The Brain

The brain has been understood as an interconnected neural network generally modeled as a graph to outline the functional topology and dynamics of brain processes. Classic graph modeling is based on single-layer models that constrain the traits conveyed to trace brain topologies. Multilayer modeling, in contrast, makes it possible to build whole-brain models by integrating features of various kinds. The aim of this work was to analyze EEG dynamics studies while gathering motor imagery data through single-layer and multilayer network modeling. The motor imagery database used consists of 18 EEG recordings of four motor imagery tasks: left hand, right hand, feet, and tongue. Brain connectivity was estimated by calculating the coherence adjacency matrices from each electrophysiological band (δ, θ, α and β) from brain areas and then embedding them by considering each band as a single-layer graph and a layer of the multilayer brain models. Constructing a reliable multilayer network topology requires a threshold that distinguishes effective connections from spurious ones. For this reason, two thresholds were implemented, the classic fixed (average) one and Otsu’s version. The latter is a new proposal for an adaptive threshold that offers reliable insight into brain topology and dynamics. Findings from the brain network models suggest that frontal and parietal brain regions are involved in motor imagery tasks.

Download Full-text

Network Diffusion Modeling Explains Longitudinal Tau PET Data

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2020.566876 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

Author(s):

Amelie Schäfer ◽

Elizabeth C. Mormino ◽

Ellen Kuhl

Keyword(s):

Positron Emission Tomography ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Dynamic Network ◽

Network Models ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Brain Network ◽

Emission Tomography ◽

Model Parameters ◽

Positron Emission ◽

Network Diffusion

Alzheimer's disease is associated with the cerebral accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau protein. The progressive occurrence of tau aggregates in different brain regions is closely related to neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment. However, our current understanding of tau propagation relies almost exclusively on postmortem histopathology, and the precise propagation dynamics of misfolded tau in the living brain remain poorly understood. Here we combine longitudinal positron emission tomography and dynamic network modeling to test the hypothesis that misfolded tau propagates preferably along neuronal connections. We follow 46 subjects for three or four annual positron emission tomography scans and compare their pathological tau profiles against brain network models of intracellular and extracellular spreading. For each subject, we identify a personalized set of model parameters that characterizes the individual progression of pathological tau. Across all subjects, the mean protein production rate was 0.21 ± 0.15 and the intracellular diffusion coefficient was 0.34 ± 0.43. Our network diffusion model can serve as a tool to detect non-clinical symptoms at an earlier stage and make informed predictions about the timeline of neurodegeneration on an individual personalized basis.

Download Full-text

Critical period regulation across multiple timescales

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1820836117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (38) ◽

pp. 23242-23251 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Rebecca K. Reh ◽

Brian G. Dias ◽

Charles A. Nelson ◽

Daniela Kaufer ◽

Janet F. Werker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Critical Period ◽

Brain Plasticity ◽

Gamma Oscillations ◽

Developmental Time ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Inhibitory Neurons ◽

Critical Periods ◽

Multiple Timescales ◽

Fast Spiking ◽

The Impact

Brain plasticity is dynamically regulated across the life span, peaking during windows of early life. Typically assessed in the physiological range of milliseconds (real time), these trajectories are also influenced on the longer timescales of developmental time (nurture) and evolutionary time (nature), which shape neural architectures that support plasticity. Properly sequenced critical periods of circuit refinement build up complex cognitive functions, such as language, from more primary modalities. Here, we consider recent progress in the biological basis of critical periods as a unifying rubric for understanding plasticity across multiple timescales. Notably, the maturation of parvalbumin-positive (PV) inhibitory neurons is pivotal. These fast-spiking cells generate gamma oscillations associated with critical period plasticity, are sensitive to circadian gene manipulation, emerge at different rates across brain regions, acquire perineuronal nets with age, and may be influenced by epigenetic factors over generations. These features provide further novel insight into the impact of early adversity and neurodevelopmental risk factors for mental disorders.

Download Full-text