The control of global brain dynamics: opposing actions of frontoparietal control and default mode networks on attention

Understanding how dynamic changes in brain activity control behavior is a major challenge of cognitive neuroscience. Here, we consider the brain as a complex dynamic system and define two measures of brain dynamics: the synchrony of brain activity, measured by the spatial coherence of the BOLD signal across regions of the brain; and metastability, which we define as the extent to which synchrony varies over time. We investigate the relationship among brain network activity, metastability, and cognitive state in humans, testing the hypothesis that global metastability is “tuned” by network interactions. We study the following two conditions: (1) an attentionally demanding choice reaction time task (CRT); and (2) an unconstrained “rest” state. Functional MRI demonstrated increased synchrony, and decreased metastability was associated with increased activity within the frontoparietal control/dorsal attention network (FPCN/DAN) activity and decreased default mode network (DMN) activity during the CRT compared with rest. Using a computational model of neural dynamics that is constrained by white matter structure to test whether simulated changes in FPCN/DAN and DMN activity produce similar effects, we demonstate that activation of the FPCN/DAN increases global synchrony and decreases metastability. DMN activation had the opposite effects. These results suggest that the balance of activity in the FPCN/DAN and DMN might control global metastability, providing a mechanistic explanation of how attentional state is shifted between an unfocused/exploratory mode characterized by high metastability, and a focused/constrained mode characterized by low metastability

A Framework to Control Functional Connectivity in the Human Brain

In this paper, we propose a framework to control brain-wide functional connectivity by selectively acting on the brain's structure and parameters. Functional connectivity, which measures the degree of correlation between neural activities in different brain regions, can be used to distinguish between healthy and certain diseased brain dynamics and, possibly, as a control parameter to restore healthy functions. In this work, we use a collection of interconnected Kuramoto oscillators to model oscillatory neural activity, and show that functional connectivity is essentially regulated by the degree of synchronization between different clusters of oscillators. Then, we propose a minimally invasive method to correct the oscillators' interconnections and frequencies to enforce arbitrary and stable synchronization patterns among the oscillators and, consequently, a desired pattern of functional connectivity. Additionally, we show that our synchronization-based framework is robust to parameter mismatches and numerical inaccuracies, and validate it using a realistic neurovascular model to simulate neural activity and functional connectivity in the human brain.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of the 58th IEEE Conference on Decision and Contro

Neurosystems: brain rhythms and cognitive processing

Neuronal rhythms are ubiquitous features of brain dynamics, and are highly correlated with cognitive processing. However, the relationship between the physiological mechanisms producing these rhythms and the functions associated with the rhythms remains mysterious. This article investigates the contributions of rhythms to basic cognitive computations (such as filtering signals by coherence and/or frequency) and to major cognitive functions (such as attention and multi-modal coordination). We offer support to the premise that the physiology underlying brain rhythms plays an essential role in how these rhythms facilitate some cognitive operations.098352 - Wellcome Trust; 5R01NS067199 - NINDS NIH HH

Markers of criticality in phase synchronization

The concept of the brain as a critical dynamical system is very attractive because systems close to criticality are thought to maximize their dynamic range of information processing and communication. To date, there have been two key experimental observations in support of this hypothesis: (i) neuronal avalanches with power law distribution of size and (ii) long-range temporal correlations (LRTCs) in the amplitude of neural oscillations. The case for how these maximize dynamic range of information processing and communication is still being made and because a significant substrate for information coding and transmission is neural synchrony it is of interest to link synchronization measures with those of criticality. We propose a framework for characterizing criticality in synchronization based on an analysis of the moment-to-moment fluctuations of phase synchrony in terms of the presence of LRTCs. This framework relies on an estimation of the rate of change of phase difference and a set of methods we have developed to detect LRTCs. We test this framework against two classical models of criticality (Ising and Kuramoto) and recently described variants of these models aimed to more closely represent human brain dynamics. From these simulations we determine the parameters at which these systems show evidence of LRTCs in phase synchronization. We demonstrate proof of principle by analysing pairs of human simultaneous EEG and EMG time series, suggesting that LRTCs of corticomuscular phase synchronization can be detected in the resting state and experimentally manipulated. The existence of LRTCs in fluctuations of phase synchronization suggests that these fluctuations are governed by non-local behavior, with all scales contributing to system behavior. This has important implications regarding the conditions under which one should expect to see LRTCs in phase synchronization. Specifically, brain resting states may exhibit LRTCs reflecting a state of readiness facilitating rapid task-dependent shifts toward and away from synchronous states that abolish LRTCs

Chaotic exploration and learning of locomotion behaviours

We present a general and fully dynamic neural system, which exploits intrinsic chaotic dynamics, for the real-time goal-directed exploration and learning of the possible locomotion patterns of an articulated robot of an arbitrary morphology in an unknown environment. The controller is modeled as a network of neural oscillators that are initially coupled only through physical embodiment, and goal-directed exploration of coordinated motor patterns is achieved by chaotic search using adaptive bifurcation. The phase space of the indirectly coupled neural-body-environment system contains multiple transient or permanent self-organized dynamics, each of which is a candidate for a locomotion behavior. The adaptive bifurcation enables the system orbit to wander through various phase-coordinated states, using its intrinsic chaotic dynamics as a driving force, and stabilizes on to one of the states matching the given goal criteria. In order to improve the sustainability of useful transient patterns, sensory homeostasis has been introduced, which results in an increased diversity of motor outputs, thus achieving multiscale exploration. A rhythmic pattern discovered by this process is memorized and sustained by changing the wiring between initially disconnected oscillators using an adaptive synchronization method. Our results show that the novel neurorobotic system is able to create and learn multiple locomotion behaviors for a wide range of body configurations and physical environments and can readapt in realtime after sustaining damage

Neurocomputational Model of EEG Complexity during Mind Wandering

Mind wandering (MW) can be understood as a transient state in which attention drifts from an external task to internal self-generated thoughts. MW has been associated with the activation of the Default Mode Network (DMN). In addition, it has been shown that the activity of the DMN is anti-correlated with activation in brain networks related to the processing of external events (e.g., Salience network, SN). In this study, we present a mean field model based on weakly coupled Kuramoto oscillators. We simulated the oscillatory activity of the entire brain and explored the role of the interaction between the nodes from the DMN and SN in MW states. External stimulation was added to the network model in two opposite conditions. Stimuli could be presented when oscillators in the SN showed more internal coherence (synchrony) than in the DMN, or, on the contrary, when the coherence in the SN was lower than in the DMN. The resulting phases of the oscillators were analyzed and used to simulate EEG signals. Our results showed that the structural complexity from both simulated and real data was higher when the model was stimulated during periods in which DMN was more coherent than the SN. Overall, our results provided a plausible mechanistic explanation to MW as a state in which high coherence in the DMN partially suppresses the capacity of the system to process external stimuli

Beta-rhythm oscillations and synchronization transition in network models of Izhikevich neurons: effect of topology and synaptic type

Despite their significant functional roles, beta-band oscillations are least understood. Synchronization in neuronal networks have attracted much attention in recent years with the main focus on transition type. Whether one obtains explosive transition or a continuous transition is an important feature of the neuronal network which can depend on network structure as well as synaptic types. In this study we consider the effect of synaptic interaction (electrical and chemical) as well as structural connectivity on synchronization transition in network models of Izhikevich neurons which spike regularly with beta rhythms. We find a wide range of behavior including continuous transition, explosive transition, as well as lack of global order. The stronger electrical synapses are more conducive to synchronization and can even lead to explosive synchronization. The key network element which determines the order of transition is found to be the clustering coefficient and not the small world effect, or the existence of hubs in a network. These results are in contrast to previous results which use phase oscillator models such as the Kuramoto model. Furthermore, we show that the patterns of synchronization changes when one goes to the gamma band. We attribute such a change to the change in the refractory period of Izhikevich neurons which changes significantly with frequency.Comment: 7 figures, 1 tabl