Communication dynamics in the human connectome shape the cortex-wide propagation of direct electrical stimulation

Communication between gray matter regions underpins all facets of brain function. We study inter-areal communication in the human brain using intracranial EEG recordings, acquired following 29,055 single-pulse direct electrical stimulations in a total of 550 individuals across 20 medical centers (average of 87 +/- 37 elec-trode contacts per subject). We found that network communication models-computed on structural con-nectivity inferred from diffusion MRI-can explain the causal propagation of focal stimuli, measured at milli-second timescales. Building on this finding, we show that a parsimonious statistical model comprising structural, functional, and spatial factors can accurately and robustly predict cortex-wide effects of brain stimulation (R2 = 46% in data from held-out medical centers). Our work contributes toward the biological validation of concepts in network neuroscience and provides insight into how connectome topology shapes polysynaptic inter-areal signaling. We anticipate that our findings will have implications for research on neural communication and the design of brain stimulation paradigms.

Automated summary

We studied the communication between gray matter regions in the human brain using intracranial EEG recordings and found that a statistical model combining structural, functional, and spatial factors can accurately predict the effects of brain stimulation. Our findings contribute to the validation of concepts in network neuroscience and have implications for research on neural communication and brain stimulation paradigms.