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Avalanche criticality in individuals, fluid intelligence, and working memory.
Longzhou Xu1, Jianfeng Feng2,3,4, Lianchun Yu1,5,6
1School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Human Brain Mapping
|February 11, 2022
Summary
Human brain dynamics near criticality support cognitive functions like fluid intelligence. This study links scale-free brain activity to cognitive performance, identifying key brain regions involved in intelligence.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- The critical brain hypothesis posits that efficient neural computation arises from critical brain dynamics.
- The precise relationship between human cognitive performance and scale-free brain dynamics is not fully understood.
- Investigating individual variability in brain dynamics is crucial for understanding cognitive function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whole-brain avalanche activity and its individual variability in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data.
- To explore the association between scale-free brain dynamics, synchronization entropy, and cognitive performance.
- To identify brain regions critical for intelligence and map cortical states across the subcritical-supercritical spectrum.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of resting-state fMRI data to characterize whole-brain avalanche activity.
- Calculation of synchronization entropy and complexity of functional connectivity.
- Correlation analysis between neural dynamics, cognitive scores (fluid intelligence, working memory), and brain region activity.
Main Results:
- Subject-wise scale-free avalanche activity significantly correlated with maximal synchronization entropy, despite group-level inaccuracy due to variability.
- Maximal complexity of functional connectivity and structure-function coupling occurred in subjects with maximal synchronization entropy.
- Resting-state brain dynamics exhibited order-disorder phase transitions, spending more time in the subcritical regime, suggesting a preference for the slightly subcritical state.
- Neural dynamics closer to criticality were associated with higher fluid intelligence and working memory scores.
- Prefrontal and inferior parietal cortex regions showed critical dynamics positively correlated with fluid intelligence.
Conclusions:
- Large-scale brain dynamics appear to favor a slightly subcritical regime for optimal function.
- Avalanche criticality plays a significant role in human cognitive performance, particularly fluid intelligence.
- The study provides a method to identify critical points and map cortical states, linking neural dynamics to cognitive abilities.
Keywords:
avalanche criticalityfluid intelligencelarge-scale brain networkphase transitionresting-state fMRIworking memoryMore Related Videos
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