CRCNS: Targeted Stimulations in Brain Network of Networks

Cuny City College, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this project is to investigate the signature of mental states, using the induction of transitions among states as an experimental strategy. The work is driven by a novel network theory -- Network of Networks (NoN) -- that emphasizes the importance of weak links. The project will identify a new network paradigm with the concomitant identification of network markers and computations that confer specificity and robustness to information transmission and gating between different processing modules. The prospective interventions are designed to provide strong empirical constraints on theories of brain network structure beyond the specific NoN hypothesis tested here, including alternate network models, e.g "scale-free" and "rich-club," in order to obtain falsifiable predictions for the prospective interventions. The results can also be readily applied to other systems ranging from metabolic, protein and genetic networks to social networks and the Internet. The present study will test specific predictions of network theory with regards to the correlation structure of in-vivo functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) and local field potential (LFP) recordings. The investigators will determine network structure and location of key nodes in the brain network topology by analyzing the structural connectivity based on Connectome data from rodents combined with functional connectivity. The proposed NoN framework will reveal the location of such key nodes -- "superspreaders" and "superinhibitors" -- and make predictions on cascading neural activity, robustness and vulnerability of the brain network.