Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2025

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Co-analysis of Brain Structure and Function using fMRI and Diffusion-weighted Imaging
Published on: November 8, 2012
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Computational role of structure in neural activity and connectivity
Srdjan Ostojic1, Stefano Fusi2
1Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Computationnelles, INSERM U960, Ecole Normale Superieure - PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France.
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|March 29, 2024
Summary
Neuroscientists can now identify structure in neural activity using a unified framework. This approach analyzes representational geometry and modularity to understand brain function and network computations.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Network Science
Background:
- Identifying structure within neural activity is a key challenge in neuroscience.
- Different structures have distinct computational implications, aiding in understanding brain area function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline a unified approach for characterizing structure in neural activity and connectivity.
- To relate these structural properties to the computations performed by neural networks.
Main Methods:
- Developed a general framework to determine representational geometry and modularity in activity and connectivity.
- Applied the framework to analyze structure in model networks across three classes of computations.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that representational geometry and modularity analysis can reveal underlying structure in neural activity.
- Showed that a similar approach can also uncover structure within neural connectivity patterns.
Conclusions:
- The unified framework provides a method to characterize structure in neural systems.
- Understanding network structure through geometry and modularity is crucial for deciphering computational roles in the brain.
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