1,779 research outputs found
Mechanisms of Zero-Lag Synchronization in Cortical Motifs
Zero-lag synchronization between distant cortical areas has been observed in
a diversity of experimental data sets and between many different regions of the
brain. Several computational mechanisms have been proposed to account for such
isochronous synchronization in the presence of long conduction delays: Of
these, the phenomenon of "dynamical relaying" - a mechanism that relies on a
specific network motif - has proven to be the most robust with respect to
parameter mismatch and system noise. Surprisingly, despite a contrary belief in
the community, the common driving motif is an unreliable means of establishing
zero-lag synchrony. Although dynamical relaying has been validated in empirical
and computational studies, the deeper dynamical mechanisms and comparison to
dynamics on other motifs is lacking. By systematically comparing
synchronization on a variety of small motifs, we establish that the presence of
a single reciprocally connected pair - a "resonance pair" - plays a crucial
role in disambiguating those motifs that foster zero-lag synchrony in the
presence of conduction delays (such as dynamical relaying) from those that do
not (such as the common driving triad). Remarkably, minor structural changes to
the common driving motif that incorporate a reciprocal pair recover robust
zero-lag synchrony. The findings are observed in computational models of
spiking neurons, populations of spiking neurons and neural mass models, and
arise whether the oscillatory systems are periodic, chaotic, noise-free or
driven by stochastic inputs. The influence of the resonance pair is also robust
to parameter mismatch and asymmetrical time delays amongst the elements of the
motif. We call this manner of facilitating zero-lag synchrony resonance-induced
synchronization, outline the conditions for its occurrence, and propose that it
may be a general mechanism to promote zero-lag synchrony in the brain.Comment: 41 pages, 12 figures, and 11 supplementary figure
The interplay of microscopic and mesoscopic structure in complex networks
Not all nodes in a network are created equal. Differences and similarities
exist at both individual node and group levels. Disentangling single node from
group properties is crucial for network modeling and structural inference.
Based on unbiased generative probabilistic exponential random graph models and
employing distributive message passing techniques, we present an efficient
algorithm that allows one to separate the contributions of individual nodes and
groups of nodes to the network structure. This leads to improved detection
accuracy of latent class structure in real world data sets compared to models
that focus on group structure alone. Furthermore, the inclusion of hitherto
neglected group specific effects in models used to assess the statistical
significance of small subgraph (motif) distributions in networks may be
sufficient to explain most of the observed statistics. We show the predictive
power of such generative models in forecasting putative gene-disease
associations in the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database. The
approach is suitable for both directed and undirected uni-partite as well as
for bipartite networks
Exponential Random Graph Modeling for Complex Brain Networks
Exponential random graph models (ERGMs), also known as p* models, have been
utilized extensively in the social science literature to study complex networks
and how their global structure depends on underlying structural components.
However, the literature on their use in biological networks (especially brain
networks) has remained sparse. Descriptive models based on a specific feature
of the graph (clustering coefficient, degree distribution, etc.) have dominated
connectivity research in neuroscience. Corresponding generative models have
been developed to reproduce one of these features. However, the complexity
inherent in whole-brain network data necessitates the development and use of
tools that allow the systematic exploration of several features simultaneously
and how they interact to form the global network architecture. ERGMs provide a
statistically principled approach to the assessment of how a set of interacting
local brain network features gives rise to the global structure. We illustrate
the utility of ERGMs for modeling, analyzing, and simulating complex
whole-brain networks with network data from normal subjects. We also provide a
foundation for the selection of important local features through the
implementation and assessment of three selection approaches: a traditional
p-value based backward selection approach, an information criterion approach
(AIC), and a graphical goodness of fit (GOF) approach. The graphical GOF
approach serves as the best method given the scientific interest in being able
to capture and reproduce the structure of fitted brain networks
Enhanced reconstruction of weighted networks from strengths and degrees
Network topology plays a key role in many phenomena, from the spreading of
diseases to that of financial crises. Whenever the whole structure of a network
is unknown, one must resort to reconstruction methods that identify the least
biased ensemble of networks consistent with the partial information available.
A challenging case, frequently encountered due to privacy issues in the
analysis of interbank flows and Big Data, is when there is only local
(node-specific) aggregate information available. For binary networks, the
relevant ensemble is one where the degree (number of links) of each node is
constrained to its observed value. However, for weighted networks the problem
is much more complicated. While the naive approach prescribes to constrain the
strengths (total link weights) of all nodes, recent counter-intuitive results
suggest that in weighted networks the degrees are often more informative than
the strengths. This implies that the reconstruction of weighted networks would
be significantly enhanced by the specification of both strengths and degrees, a
computationally hard and bias-prone procedure. Here we solve this problem by
introducing an analytical and unbiased maximum-entropy method that works in the
shortest possible time and does not require the explicit generation of
reconstructed samples. We consider several real-world examples and show that,
while the strengths alone give poor results, the additional knowledge of the
degrees yields accurately reconstructed networks. Information-theoretic
criteria rigorously confirm that the degree sequence, as soon as it is
non-trivial, is irreducible to the strength sequence. Our results have strong
implications for the analysis of motifs and communities and whenever the
reconstructed ensemble is required as a null model to detect higher-order
patterns
The compositional and evolutionary logic of metabolism
Metabolism displays striking and robust regularities in the forms of
modularity and hierarchy, whose composition may be compactly described. This
renders metabolic architecture comprehensible as a system, and suggests the
order in which layers of that system emerged. Metabolism also serves as the
foundation in other hierarchies, at least up to cellular integration including
bioenergetics and molecular replication, and trophic ecology. The
recapitulation of patterns first seen in metabolism, in these higher levels,
suggests metabolism as a source of causation or constraint on many forms of
organization in the biosphere.
We identify as modules widely reused subsets of chemicals, reactions, or
functions, each with a conserved internal structure. At the small molecule
substrate level, module boundaries are generally associated with the most
complex reaction mechanisms and the most conserved enzymes. Cofactors form a
structurally and functionally distinctive control layer over the small-molecule
substrate. Complex cofactors are often used at module boundaries of the
substrate level, while simpler ones participate in widely used reactions.
Cofactor functions thus act as "keys" that incorporate classes of organic
reactions within biochemistry.
The same modules that organize the compositional diversity of metabolism are
argued to have governed long-term evolution. Early evolution of core
metabolism, especially carbon-fixation, appears to have required few
innovations among a small number of conserved modules, to produce adaptations
to simple biogeochemical changes of environment. We demonstrate these features
of metabolism at several levels of hierarchy, beginning with the small-molecule
substrate and network architecture, continuing with cofactors and key conserved
reactions, and culminating in the aggregation of multiple diverse physical and
biochemical processes in cells.Comment: 56 pages, 28 figure
Spectral goodness of fit for network models
We introduce a new statistic, 'spectral goodness of fit' (SGOF) to measure
how well a network model explains the structure of an observed network. SGOF
provides an absolute measure of fit, analogous to the standard R-squared in
linear regression. Additionally, as it takes advantage of the properties of the
spectrum of the graph Laplacian, it is suitable for comparing network models of
diverse functional forms, including both fitted statistical models and
algorithmic generative models of networks. After introducing, defining, and
providing guidance for interpreting SGOF, we illustrate the properties of the
statistic with a number of examples and comparisons to existing techniques. We
show that such a spectral approach to assessing model fit fills gaps left by
earlier methods and can be widely applied
Recommended from our members
Mechanisms 
of
 change 
in 
protein 
architecture
Proteins are the basic building blocks and functional units in all living organisms.
Moreover, differences between species can frequently be explained with
differences in their protein complements. Importantly, proteins are often
composed of segments, i.e. domains that have a certain level of evolutionary,
structural and/or functional independence. The majority of proteins in nature
contain two or more domains, and an individual domain can often occur in
combinations with different domain partners.
In the first part of my thesis, I traced the history of animal gene families
and the proteins these genes encode. By this means, I was able to infer events
where changes in protein domain architectures took place. This showed that
both insertions and deletions of single copy domains preferentially occur at
protein termini, but also that changes are more likely to occur after gene
duplication than organism speciation. Finally, domains that were most
frequently gained were the ones that are related to an increase in organismal
complexity, thus underlining the important role of domain shuffling in animal
evolution.
In the second part of my thesis, I focused on a set of high confidence
domain gain events and investigated the evidence for molecular mechanisms
that caused these domain gains. In agreement with observations from the first
part - that changes preferentially occur at the termini - I have found that the
strongest contribution to gains of novel domains in proteins comes from gene
fusion through the joining of exons from adjacent genes into a novel gene unit.
Two other mechanisms that have been suggested to play a major role in the
evolution of animal proteins, retroposition and middle insertions through
intronic recombination, have a smaller role in comparison to gene fusions. Since
the majority of these domain gains are again observed after gene duplication,
this suggests a powerful mechanism for neofunctionalization after gene
duplication.
iii
Finally, in the last part of my thesis, I address a mechanism that increases
the number and variety of proteins in an organism – alternative splicing. In
particular, I investigate the functional consequences of tissue-specific alternative
splicing events. I found that tissue-specific splicing tends to affect exons that
encode protein regions without defined secondary or tertiary structure.
Importantly, it is known that these disordered regions frequently play a role in
protein interactions. In agreement with this, I observed significant enrichment of
tissue-specifically encoded protein segments in disordered binding peptides and
posttranslationally modified sites. A possible result of the finely regulated
alternative splicing of these segments is a tissue-specific rewiring of protein
network. In conclusion, both alternative splicing and domain shuffling can
increase proteome diversity. However, a protein with a new function can often
directly or indirectly shape the functions of other proteins in its environment
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