Heritability of Small-World Networks in the Brain: A Graph Theoretical Analysis of Resting-State EEG Functional Connectivity

Recent studies have shown that resting-state functional networks as studied with fMRI, EEG, and MEG may be so-called small-world networks. We investigated to what extent the characteristic features of small-world networks are genetically determined. To represent functional connectivity between brain areas, we measured resting EEG in 574 twins and their siblings and calculated the synchronization likelihood between each pair of electrodes. We applied a threshold to obtain a binary graph from which we calculated the clustering coefficient C (describing local interconnectedness) and average path length L (describing global interconnectedness) for each individual. Modeling of MZ and DZ twin and sibling resemblance indicated that across various frequency bands 46-89% of the individual differences in C and 37-62%) of the individual differences in L are heritable. It is asserted that C, L, and a small-world organization are viable markers of genetic differences in brain organization. Ham Brain Mapp 29:1368-7378, 2008. (C) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.