Brain signaling becomes less integrated and more segregated with age
Rostam M Razban1, Botond B Antal2,3, Ken A Dill1,4,5
1Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
Network Neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
|December 30, 2024
Summary
Brain activity shows decreased integration and increased segregation with age. This shift, observed in functional MRI data, reflects weakened regional connections, not changes in brain structure.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Physics
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- The integration-segregation framework simplifies brain dynamics into global (integration) and local (segregation) signaling states.
- Defining these brain states lacks a standardized approach, hindering consistent analysis.
- The Ising model from physics offers a framework to define order (integration) and disorder (segregation) states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively define and calculate brain integration and segregation probabilities (P_int, P_seg) using the Ising model.
- To investigate how these brain states change with age.
- To determine if age-related changes in brain dynamics are linked to connection strength or network topology.
Main Methods:
- Mapped integration and segregation to order and disorder states of the Ising model.
- Calculated state probabilities (P_int, P_seg) from functional MRI (fMRI) data.
- Analyzed changes across three independent databases and compared with structural and diffusion MRI data.
Main Results:
- Integration (P_int) significantly decreases with advancing age.
- Segregation (P_seg) significantly increases with advancing age across all datasets.
- Observed changes correlate with weakened functional connection strength, not alterations in structural connectivity.
Conclusions:
- Age-related decline in brain integration and rise in segregation are robust findings.
- These dynamics shifts are primarily driven by reduced connection strength between brain regions.
- Findings provide a novel physics-based method for analyzing brain dynamics and its aging trajectory.
More Related Videos
09:01A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance
Published on: May 7, 2014
10.1K
11:57Methods to Study Changes in Inherent Protein Aggregation with Age in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: November 26, 2017
8.4K
Related Concept Videos
01:26Aging
19
Aging is a complex biological phenomenon influenced by various processes that affect cellular and systemic functions. Several prominent theories attempt to explain its mechanisms, highlighting cellular limitations, oxidative damage, and hormonal changes as central factors in aging.
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
19
01:28Integration of Synaptic Events
1.3K
Synaptic integration mainly includes the summation of graded potentials. Graded potentials, regardless of their type, cause subtle alterations in membrane voltage, resulting in either depolarization or hyperpolarization. These incremental changes, when combined or summed, can propel the neuron toward its threshold. Consider, for example, a membrane experiencing a +15 mV shift, causing it to depolarize from -70 mV to -55 mV. In this scenario, graded potentials govern the membrane's ability...
1.3K
01:15Neurogenesis and Regeneration of Nervous Tissue
665
In the CNS, neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons from stem cells, is limited to the hippocampus in adults. In other regions of the brain and spinal cord, neurogenesis is almost non-existent due to inhibitory influences from neuroglia, especially oligodendrocytes, and the absence of growth-stimulating cues. The myelin produced by oligodendrocytes in the CNS inhibits neuronal regeneration. Furthermore, astrocytes proliferate rapidly after neuronal damage, forming scar tissue that physically...
665
01:28Neuronal Communication
607
Neurons, the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, communicate through complex electrochemical signals that underpin all cognitive and bodily functions. This communication is primarily facilitated by a process involving the generation and propagation of an action potential along the axon of the neuron. When the internal electrical charge of a neuron surpasses a certain threshold, an action potential is triggered. This rapid change in voltage travels swiftly along the axon to the...
607
03:14Notch Signaling Pathway
4.1K
The Notch signaling pathway is a major intracellular signaling pathway that is highly conserved over a broad spectrum of metazoan species. It stands unique from other intracellular signaling mechanisms in animals because notch protein itself acts as the receptor as well as the primary signaling molecule.
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not...
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not...
4.1K
01:12Synaptic Signaling
74.6K
Neurons communicate at synapses, or junctions, to excite or inhibit the activity of other neurons or target cells, such as muscles. Synapses may be chemical or electrical.
74.6K