Brain dynamics: Synchronous peaks, functional connectivity, and its temporal variability

We describe advances in the understanding of brain dynamics that are important for understanding the operation of the cerebral cortex in health and disease. Peaks in the resting state fMRI BOLD signal in many different brain areas can become synchronized. In data from 1,017 participants from the Human Connectome Project, we show that early visual and connected areas have the highest probability of synchronized peaks. We show that these cortical areas also have low temporal variability of their functional connectivity. We show that there is an approximately reciprocal relation between the probability that a brain region will be involved in synchronized peaks and the temporal variability of the connectivity of a brain region. We show that a high probability of synchronized peaks and a low temporal variability of the connectivity of cortical areas are related to high mean functional connectivity, and provide an account of how these dynamics with some of the properties of avalanches arise. These discoveries help to advance our understanding of cortical operation in health, and in some mental disorders including schizophrenia.

Automated summary

Recent advancements in understanding brain dynamics have shed light on the operation of the cerebral cortex in both health and disease. Research shows that synchronized peaks in resting state fMRI BOLD signals can be observed in various brain areas, with early visual and connected areas having the highest probability of synchronization. Additionally, cortical areas with high likelihood of synchronized peaks and low temporal variability in connectivity are associated with high mean functional connectivity, contributing to our comprehension of cortical function in different conditions, including schizophrenia.