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Multiscale criticality measures as general-purpose gauges of proper brain function
Tomer Fekete1,2,3, Hermann Hinrichs4,5, Jacobo Diego Sitt6,7
1Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel. tomer.fekete@gmail.com.
Scientific Reports
|July 15, 2021
Summary
New multiscale criticality measures (MsCr) reveal brain information processing capacity by analyzing spatiotemporal activity. These measures show deviations in conditions like disorders of consciousness and schizophrenia, indicating potential biomarkers for brain health.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Information Theory
Background:
- The brain is understood as an information processing system.
- Cognitive dysfunctions can be viewed as information processing deficits.
- Brain activity exhibits hierarchical complexity through spatiotemporal loops.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate multiscale criticality measures (MsCr) for assessing brain information processing capacity.
- To investigate the relationship between MsCr and various states of compromised cognitive function.
Main Methods:
- Application of MsCr to electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) data.
- Analysis of brain activity in conditions including disorders of consciousness, mild cognitive impairment, and schizophrenia.
- Examination of pre-ictal activity as a state of altered information processing.
Main Results:
- MsCr measures systematically correlated with information processing capacity.
- Deviations in MsCr 'fingerprints' were consistently observed across all examined states of compromised information processing.
- MsCr effectively captured altered spatiotemporal activity patterns.
Conclusions:
- MsCr offers a novel approach to quantify brain information processing capacity.
- MsCr may serve as general biomarkers for brain health and cognitive function.
- This method shows promise for diagnosing and monitoring neurological and psychiatric conditions.
