scholarly journals Graph neural fields: A framework for spatiotemporal dynamical models on the human connectome

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e1008310
Author(s):  
Marco Aqil ◽  
Selen Atasoy ◽  
Morten L. Kringelbach ◽  
Rikkert Hindriks
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Structure Function ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Graph Laplacian ◽  
Laplacian Operator ◽  
Neural Fields ◽  
Dynamical Models ◽  
Whole Brain

Tools from the field of graph signal processing, in particular the graph Laplacian operator, have recently been successfully applied to the investigation of structure-function relationships in the human brain. The eigenvectors of the human connectome graph Laplacian, dubbed “connectome harmonics”, have been shown to relate to the functionally relevant resting-state networks. Whole-brain modelling of brain activity combines structural connectivity with local dynamical models to provide insight into the large-scale functional organization of the human brain. In this study, we employ the graph Laplacian and its properties to define and implement a large class of neural activity models directly on the human connectome. These models, consisting of systems of stochastic integrodifferential equations on graphs, are dubbed graph neural fields, in analogy with the well-established continuous neural fields. We obtain analytic predictions for harmonic and temporal power spectra, as well as functional connectivity and coherence matrices, of graph neural fields, with a technique dubbed CHAOSS (shorthand for Connectome-Harmonic Analysis Of Spatiotemporal Spectra). Combining graph neural fields with appropriate observation models allows for estimating model parameters from experimental data as obtained from electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). As an example application, we study a stochastic Wilson-Cowan graph neural field model on a high-resolution connectome graph constructed from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and structural MRI data. We show that the model equilibrium fluctuations can reproduce the empirically observed harmonic power spectrum of resting-state fMRI data, and predict its functional connectivity, with a high level of detail. Graph neural fields natively allow the inclusion of important features of cortical anatomy and fast computations of observable quantities for comparison with multimodal empirical data. They thus appear particularly suitable for modelling whole-brain activity at mesoscopic scales, and opening new potential avenues for connectome-graph-based investigations of structure-function relationships.

scholarly journals Graph neural fields: a framework for spatiotemporal dynamical models on the human connectome

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Aqil ◽  
Selen Atasoy ◽  
Morten L. Kringelbach ◽  
Rikkert Hindriks
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Graph Laplacian ◽  
Neural Fields ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Dynamical Models

AbstractTools from the field of graph signal processing, in particular the graph Laplacian operator, have recently been successfully applied to the investigation of structure-function relationships in the human brain. The eigenvectors of the human connectome graph Laplacian, dubbed “connectome harmonics”, have been shown to relate to the functionally relevant resting-state networks. Whole-brain modelling of brain activity combines structural connectivity with local dynamical models to provide insight into the large-scale functional organization of the human brain. In this study, we employ the graph Laplacian and its properties to define and implement a large class of neural activity models directly on the human connectome. These models, consisting of systems of stochastic integrodifferential equations on graphs, are dubbed graph neural fields, in analogy with the well-established continuous neural fields. We obtain analytic predictions for harmonic and temporal power spectra, as well as functional connectivity and coherence matrices, of graph neural fields, with a technique dubbed CHAOSS (shorthand for Connectome-Harmonic Analysis Of Spatiotemporal Spectra). Combining graph neural fields with appropriate observation models allows for estimating model parameters from experimental data as obtained from electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); as an example application, we study a stochastic Wilson-Cowan graph neural field model on a high-resolution connectome, and show that the model equilibrium fluctuations can reproduce the empirically observed harmonic power spectrum of BOLD fMRI data. Graph neural fields natively allow the inclusion of important features of cortical anatomy and fast computations of observable quantities for comparison with multimodal empirical data. They thus appear particularly suitable for modelling whole-brain activity at mesoscopic scales, and opening new potential avenues for connectome-graph-based investigations of structure-function relationships.Author summaryThe human brain can be seen as an interconnected network of many thousands neuronal “populations”; in turn, each population contains thousands of neurons, and each is connected both to its neighbors on the cortex, and crucially also to distant populations thanks to long-range white matter fibers. This extremely complex network, unique to each of us, is known as the “human connectome graph”. In this work, we develop a novel approach to investigate how the neural activity that is necessary for our life and experience of the world arises from an individual human connectome graph. For the first time, we implement a mathematical model of neuronal activity directly on a high-resolution connectome graph, and show that it can reproduce the spatial patterns of activity observed in the real brain with magnetic resonance imaging. This new kind of model, made of equations implemented directly on connectome graphs, could help us better understand how brain function is shaped by computational principles and anatomy, but also how it is affected by pathology and lesions.

scholarly journals EEG and fMRI connectomes are reliably related: a simultaneous EEG-fMRI study from 1.5T to 7T

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Wirsich ◽  
João Jorge ◽  
Giannina R Iannotti ◽  
Elhum A Shamshiri ◽  
Frédéric Grouiller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
High Field ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Consistent Estimate ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractBoth electroencephalography (EEG) and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) are non-invasive methods that show complementary aspects of human brain activity. Despite their differences in probing brain activity, both electrophysiology and BOLD signal can map the underlying functional connectivity structure at the whole brain scale at different timescales. Previous work demonstrated a moderate but significant correlation between resting-state functional connectivity of both modalities, however there is a wide range of technical setups to measure simultaneous EEG-fMRI and the reliability of those measures between different setups remains unknown. This is true notably with respect to different magnetic field strengths (low and high field) and different spatial sampling of EEG (medium to high-density electrode coverage).Here, we investigated the reliability of the bimodal EEG-fMRI functional connectome in the most comprehensive resting-state simultaneous EEG-fMRI dataset compiled to date including a total of 72 subjects from four different imaging centers. Data was acquired from 1.5T, 3T and 7T scanners with simultaneously recorded EEG using 64 or 256 electrodes. We demonstrate that the whole-brain monomodal connectivity reliably correlates across different datasets and that the crossmodal correlation between EEG and fMRI connectivity of r≈0.3 can be reliably extracted in low and high-field scanners. The crossmodal correlation was strongest in the EEG-β frequency band but exists across all frequency bands. Both homotopic and withing intrinsic connectivity network (ICN) connections contributed the most to the crossmodal relationship.This study confirms, using a considerably diverse range of recording setups, that simultaneous EEG-fMRI offers a consistent estimate of multimodal functional connectomes in healthy subjects being organized into reliable ICNs across different timescales. This opens new avenues for estimating the dynamics of brain function and provides a better understanding of interactions between EEG and fMRI measures. Alterations of this coupling could be explored as a potential clinical marker of pathological brain function.

scholarly journals Dynamic Properties of Simulated Brain Network Models and Empirical Resting State Data

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amrit Kashyap ◽  
Shella Keilholz
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Temporal Structure ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Network Models ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Dynamical Analysis ◽  
Whole Brain

AbstractBrain Network Models have become a promising theoretical framework in simulating signals that are representative of whole brain activity such as resting state fMRI. However, it has been difficult to compare the complex brain activity between simulated and empirical data. Previous studies have used simple metrics that surmise coordination between regions such as functional connectivity, and we extend on this by using various different dynamical analysis tools that are currently used to understand resting state fMRI. We show that certain properties correspond to the structural connectivity input that is shared between the models, and certain dynamic properties relate more to the mathematical description of the Brain Network Model. We conclude that the dynamic properties that gauge more temporal structure rather than spatial coordination in the rs-fMRI signal seem to provide the largest contrasts between different BNMs and the unknown empirical dynamical system. Our results will be useful in constraining and developing more realistic simulations of whole brain activity.

scholarly journals Altered Weibull Degree Distribution in Resting-State Functional Brain Networks Is Associated With Cognitive Decline in Mild Cognitive Impairment

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifei Zhang ◽  
Xiaodan Chen ◽  
Xinyuan Liang ◽  
Zhijiang Wang ◽  
Teng Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Functional Networks ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Connectivity Degree

The topological organization of human brain networks can be mathematically characterized by the connectivity degree distribution of network nodes. However, there is no clear consensus on whether the topological structure of brain networks follows a power law or other probability distributions, and whether it is altered in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we employed resting-state functional MRI and graph theory approaches to investigate the fitting of degree distributions of the whole-brain functional networks and seven subnetworks in healthy subjects and individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), i.e., the prodromal stage of AD, and whether they are altered and correlated with cognitive performance in patients. Forty-one elderly cognitively healthy controls and 30 aMCI subjects were included. We constructed functional connectivity matrices among brain voxels and examined nodal degree distributions that were fitted by maximum likelihood estimation. In the whole-brain networks and all functional subnetworks, the connectivity degree distributions were fitted better by the Weibull distribution [f(x)~x(β−1)e(−λxβ)] than power law or power law with exponential cutoff. Compared with the healthy control group, the aMCI group showed lower Weibull β parameters (shape factor) in both the whole-brain networks and all seven subnetworks (false-discovery rate-corrected, p < 0.05). These decreases of the Weibull β parameters in the whole-brain networks and all subnetworks except for ventral attention were associated with reduced cognitive performance in individuals with aMCI. Thus, we provided a short-tailed model to capture intrinsic connectivity structure of the human brain functional networks in health and disease.

scholarly journals Beyond the low frequency fluctuations morning and evening differences in human brain

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Fafrowicz ◽  
Bartosz Bohaterewicz ◽  
Anna Ceglarek ◽  
Monika Cichocka ◽  
Koryna Lewandowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Basic Mechanism ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Circadian Typology

Human performance, alertness, and most biological functions express rhythmic fluctuations across a 24-hour-period. This phenomenon is believed to originate from differences in both circadian and homeostatic sleep-wake regulatory processes. Interactions between these processes result in time-of-day modulations of behavioral performance as well as brain activity patterns. Although the basic mechanism of the 24-hour clock is conserved across evolution, there are interindividual differences in the timing of sleep-wake cycles, subjective alertness and functioning throughout the day. The study of circadian typology differences has increased during the last few years, especially research on extreme chronotypes, which provide a unique way to investigate the effects of sleep-wake regulation on cerebral mechanisms. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we assessed the influence of chronotype and time-of-day on resting-state functional connectivity. 29 extreme morning- and 34 evening-type participants underwent two fMRI sessions: about one hour after wake-up time (morning) and about ten hours after wake-up time (evening), scheduled according to their declared habitual sleep-wake pattern on a regular working day. Analysis of obtained neuroimaging data disclosed only an effect of time of day on resting-state functional connectivity; there were different patterns of functional connectivity between morning and evening sessions. The results of our study showed no differences between extreme morning-type and evening-type individuals. We demonstrate that circadian and homeostatic influences on the resting-state functional connectivity have a universal character, unaffected by circadian typology.

scholarly journals Computerized physical and cognitive training improves the functional architecture of the brain in adults with Down syndrome: A network science EEG study

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Alexandra Anagnostopoulou ◽  
Charis Styliadis ◽  
Panagiotis Kartsidis ◽  
Evangelia Romanopoulou ◽  
Vasiliki Zilidou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Network Architecture ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Random Network ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Hierarchical Organization ◽  
The Brain

Understanding the neuroplastic capacity of people with Down syndrome (PwDS) can potentially reveal the causal relationship between aberrant brain organization and phenotypic characteristics. We used resting-state EEG recordings to identify how a neuroplasticity-triggering training protocol relates to changes in the functional connectivity of the brain’s intrinsic cortical networks. Brain activity of 12 PwDS before and after a 10-week protocol of combined physical and cognitive training was statistically compared to quantify changes in directed functional connectivity in conjunction with psychosomatometric assessments. PwDS showed increased connectivity within the left hemisphere and from left-to-right hemisphere, as well as increased physical and cognitive performance. Our findings reveal a strong adaptive neuroplastic reorganization as a result of the training that leads to a less-random network with a more pronounced hierarchical organization. Our results go beyond previous findings by indicating a transition to a healthier, more efficient, and flexible network architecture, with improved integration and segregation abilities in the brain of PwDS. Resting-state electrophysiological brain activity is used here for the first time to display meaningful relationships to underlying Down syndrome processes and outcomes of importance in a translational inquiry. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT04390321.

scholarly journals Distinct structure-function relationships across cortical regions and connectivity scales in the rat brain

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milou Straathof ◽  
Michel R.T. Sinke ◽  
Theresia J.M. Roelofs ◽  
Erwin L.A. Blezer ◽  
R. Angela Sarabdjitsingh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Structure Function ◽  
Rat Brain ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Distinct Structure ◽  
Macro Scale ◽  
Function Relationship ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Meso Scale

AbstractAn improved understanding of the structure-function relationship in the brain is necessary to know to what degree structural connectivity underpins abnormal functional connectivity seen in many disorders. We integrated high-field resting-state fMRI-based functional connectivity with high-resolution macro-scale diffusion-based and meso-scale neuronal tracer-based structural connectivity, to obtain an accurate depiction of the structure-function relationship in the rat brain. Our main goal was to identify to what extent structural and functional connectivity strengths are correlated, macro- and meso-scopically, across the cortex. Correlation analyses revealed a positive correspondence between functional connectivity and macro-scale diffusion-based structural connectivity, but no correspondence between functional connectivity and meso-scale neuronal tracer-based structural connectivity. Locally, strong functional connectivity was found in two well-known resting-state networks: the sensorimotor and default mode network. Strong functional connectivity within these networks coincided with strong short-range intrahemispheric structural connectivity, but with weak heterotopic interhemispheric and long-range intrahemispheric structural connectivity. Our study indicates the importance of combining measures of connectivity at distinct hierarchical levels to accurately determine connectivity across networks in the healthy and diseased brain. Distinct structure-function relationships across the brain can explain the organization of networks and may underlie variations in the impact of structural damage on functional networks and behavior.

scholarly journals The Impact of Cannabidiol on Human Brain Function: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Batalla ◽  
Julian Bos ◽  
Amber Postma ◽  
Matthijs G. Bossong
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Psychiatric Disorder ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Healthy Volunteers ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Therapeutic Effects

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that the non-intoxicating cannabinoid compound cannabidiol (CBD) may have antipsychotic and anxiolytic properties, and thus may be a promising new agent in the treatment of psychotic and anxiety disorders. However, the neurobiological substrates underlying the potential therapeutic effects of CBD are still unclear. The aim of this systematic review is to provide a detailed and up-to-date systematic literature overview of neuroimaging studies that investigated the acute impact of CBD on human brain function.Methods: Papers published until May 2020 were included from PubMed following a comprehensive search strategy and pre-determined set of criteria for article selection. We included studies that examined the effects of CBD on brain function of healthy volunteers and individuals diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, comprising both the effects of CBD alone as well as in direct comparison to those induced by ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of Cannabis.Results: One-ninety four studies were identified, of which 17 met inclusion criteria. All studies investigated the acute effects of CBD on brain function during resting state or in the context of cognitive tasks. In healthy volunteers, acute CBD enhanced fronto-striatal resting state connectivity, both compared to placebo and THC. Furthermore, CBD modulated brain activity and had opposite effects when compared to THC following task-specific patterns during various cognitive paradigms, such as emotional processing (fronto-temporal), verbal memory (fronto-striatal), response inhibition (fronto-limbic-striatal), and auditory/visual processing (temporo-occipital). In individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis and patients with established psychosis, acute CBD showed intermediate brain activity compared to placebo and healthy controls during cognitive task performance. CBD modulated resting limbic activity in subjects with anxiety and metabolite levels in patients with autism spectrum disorders.Conclusion: Neuroimaging studies have shown that acute CBD induces significant alterations in brain activity and connectivity patterns during resting state and performance of cognitive tasks in both healthy volunteers and patients with a psychiatric disorder. This included modulation of functional networks relevant for psychiatric disorders, possibly reflecting CBD’s therapeutic effects. Future studies should consider replication of findings and enlarge the inclusion of psychiatric patients, combining longer-term CBD treatment with neuroimaging assessments.

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