Dynamic network communication as a unifying neural basis for cognition, development, aging, and disease
Bradley Voytek1, Robert T Knight2
1Department of Cognitive Science, Neurosciences Graduate Program, and the Institute for Neural Computation, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California..
Biological Psychiatry
|May 26, 2015
Summary
Neural networks coordinate brain functions through synchronized brain oscillations. Disruptions in this dynamic network communication, influenced by factors like aging and disease, can lead to cognitive and behavioral changes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Systems Neuroscience
Background:
- Coordinated neural activity underlies perception, cognition, and social interaction.
- Neural networks are dynamic, noisy, and operate across multiple timescales.
- Neuroplasticity shapes these networks throughout development, aging, and disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a theoretical framework for dynamic network communication.
- To explain how transient synchronization of low-frequency oscillations facilitates interregional communication.
- To link disruptions in network communication dynamics to cognitive and behavioral changes.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical modeling of dynamic network communication.
- Analysis of the balance between oscillatory coupling and local neuronal spiking.
- Examination of the impact of altered synchronization on neural communication.
Main Results:
- Successful interregional communication depends on transient synchronization of low-frequency oscillations (<80 Hz).
- Network communication involves a balance between oscillatory coupling and local population spiking.
- Both excessive and insufficient oscillatory coupling disrupt neural communication.
Conclusions:
- Alterations in dynamic network communication may underlie cognitive changes in development, aging, and neurological/psychiatric disorders.
- Abnormalities in oscillatory activity are linked to various disorders (e.g., Parkinson's, autism, depression).
- Physical changes in aging, disease, or experience affect cognitive function by altering dynamic network communication.
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