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Interfacing Microfluidics with Microelectrode Arrays for Studying Neuronal Communication and Axonal Signal Propagation
Published on: December 8, 2018
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Efficient communication dynamics on macro-connectome, and the propagation speed.
Masanori Shimono1,2, Naomichi Hatano3
1Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, 53 Kawaramachi, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan. shimono.masanori.7w@kyoto-u.ac.jp.
Scientific Reports
|February 8, 2018
Summary
Brain communication speed is consistent across conscious states, with signals primarily using efficient anatomical pathways. This study reveals the brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Graph Theory
Background:
- Global brain communication dynamics are studied using fMRI, MEG, and ECoG, revealing slow dynamics linked to anatomy.
- Local fast temporal dynamics are understood through single-/multi-unit recordings.
- Global fast temporal dynamics and their anatomical basis remain less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare temporal aspects of cross-area signal propagation between single-unit recordings and ECoG.
- To investigate the anatomical underpinnings of these fast temporal dynamics.
- To explore novel graph-theoretic measures for quantifying brain communication efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of latencies between single-unit recordings and both evoked and spontaneous ECoGs.
- Estimation of brain-wide signal propagation velocity.
- Analysis of anatomical shortest path lengths in predicting signal latencies.
- Application of the Communicability graph-theoretic measure.
Main Results:
- ECoG data accurately predict single-unit recording latencies.
- Estimated propagation velocity is 1.0-1.5 m/s and stable across conscious levels.
- Anatomical shortest paths strongly correlate with signal propagation latencies.
- Communicability quantifies that over 90% of brain communication paths utilize shortest routes.
Conclusions:
- The brain's macro-connectome is efficiently wired for detailed communication dynamics.
- Fast temporal dynamics of brain communication are constrained by anatomical topology.
- Graph-theoretic approaches, like Communicability, offer valuable insights into brain network efficiency.
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