Structural Foundations of Brain Criticality: Unraveling the Influence of the Human Connectome
Date:
Understanding the complex dynamics of the brain is a fascinating and challenging endeavor. In recent years, the brain criticality hypothesis has emerged as a promising framework to shed light on the relationship between brain structure and function. Computational models tuned at criticality have played a crucial role in bridging this gap. In this talk, our focus is on a cellular automata model proposed to explain criticality in the brain. We analytically characterize the model and reveal that in the mean field limit, it exhibits a bistability. This finding underscores the significance of the underlying empirical connectome as a key ingredient for the emergence of criticality. Furthermore, we explore the practical implications of this model by applying it to stroke patients. Previous results have demonstrated a correlation between the loss of cognitive features and the decline in criticality. Interestingly, we observe that the topological dimension of the connectome serves as a predictive factor for such loss of criticality. This finding suggests that the organization and structure of the brain’s connectivity play a pivotal role in maintaining critical dynamics and cognitive function.
This talk has been presented during the Multiscale & Integrative compleX Networks: EXperiments & Theories 2023, held in Vienna, Austria.