Signal diffusion along connectome gradients and inter-hub routing differentially contribute to dynamic human brain...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Network Science

Background:

• Human cognition dynamically shifts between external focus and internal thought.
• Understanding brain mechanisms for these state transitions is crucial but limited.
• Brain network organization influences functional brain dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate how macroscale structural network organization constrains dynamic changes in brain function.
• Explore the mechanisms underlying transitions between distinct cognitive states.

Main Methods:

• Utilized manifold learning to represent structural connectome organization.
• Applied Hidden Markov Models to identify functional brain states and transition patterns.
• Analyzed data from a large cohort of healthy adults (n=326).

Main Results:

• Structural connectome organization predicted transitions between sensorimotor and transmodal brain states.
• Sensorimotor state transitions followed short paths and network diffusion.
• Transmodal state transitions involved long-range connections and distributed hubs.

Conclusions:

• Brain structure supports flexible transitions between cognitive processing modes.
• Connectome topology shapes the dynamics of functional brain states.
• Provides insight into neural mechanisms of cognitive flexibility.