{"title":"Efficacy of functional connectome fingerprinting using tangent-space brain networks.","authors":"Davor Curic, Sudhanva Kalasapura Venugopal Krishna, Jörn Davidsen","doi":"10.1162/netn_a_00445","DOIUrl":"10.1162/netn_a_00445","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Functional connectomes (FCs) are estimations of brain region interaction derived from brain activity, often obtained from functional magnetic resonance imaging recordings. Quantifying the distance between FCs is important for understanding the relation between behavior, disorders, disease, and changes in connectivity. Recently, tangent space projections, which account for the curvature of the mathematical space of FCs, have been proposed for calculating FC distances. We compare the efficacy of this approach relative to the traditional method in the context of subject identification using the Midnight Scan Club dataset in order to study resting-state and task-based subject discriminability. The tangent space method is found to universally outperform the traditional method. We also focus on the subject identification efficacy of subnetworks. Certain subnetworks are found to outperform others, a dichotomy that largely follows the \"control\" and \"processing\" categorization of resting-state networks, and relates subnetwork flexibility with subject discriminability. Identification efficacy is also modulated by tasks, though certain subnetworks appear task independent. The uniquely long recordings of the dataset also allow for explorations of resource requirements for effective subject identification. The tangent space method is found to universally require less data, making it well suited when only short recordings are available.</p>","PeriodicalId":48520,"journal":{"name":"Network Neuroscience","volume":"9 2","pages":"549-568"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12140576/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144250362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Network NeurosciencePub Date : 2025-04-30eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00444
Johan Nakuci, Javier Garcia, Kanika Bansal
{"title":"Quantifying the influence of biophysical factors in shaping brain communication through remnant functional networks.","authors":"Johan Nakuci, Javier Garcia, Kanika Bansal","doi":"10.1162/netn_a_00444","DOIUrl":"10.1162/netn_a_00444","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Functional connectivity (FC) reflects brain-wide communication essential for cognition, yet the role of underlying biophysical factors in shaping FC remains unclear. We quantify the influence of physical factors-structural connectivity (SC) and Euclidean distance (DC), which capture anatomical wiring and regional distance-and molecular factors-gene expression similarity (GC), and neuroreceptor congruence (RC), representing neurobiological similarity-on resting-state FC. We assess how these factors impact graph-theoretic and gradient features, capturing pairwise and higher-order interactions. By generating <i>remnant functional networks</i> after selectively removing connections tied to specific factors, we show that molecular factors, particularly RC, dominate graph-theoretic features, while gradient features are shaped by a mix of molecular and physical factors, especially GC and DC. SC has a surprisingly minor role. We also link FC alterations to biophysical factors in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with physical factors differentiating these groups. These insights are key for understanding FC across various applications, including task performance, development, and clinical conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":48520,"journal":{"name":"Network Neuroscience","volume":"9 2","pages":"522-548"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12140568/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144250369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Network NeurosciencePub Date : 2025-04-30eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00447
Shufei Zhang, Kyesam Jung, Robert Langner, Esther Florin, Simon B Eickhoff, Oleksandr V Popovych
{"title":"Predicting response speed and age from task-evoked effective connectivity.","authors":"Shufei Zhang, Kyesam Jung, Robert Langner, Esther Florin, Simon B Eickhoff, Oleksandr V Popovych","doi":"10.1162/netn_a_00447","DOIUrl":"10.1162/netn_a_00447","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent neuroimaging studies demonstrated that task-evoked functional connectivity (FC) may better predict individual traits than resting-state FC. However, the prediction properties of task-evoked effective connectivity (EC) remain unexplored. We investigated this by predicting individual reaction time (RT) performance in the stimulus-response compatibility task and age, using intrinsic EC (I-EC; calculated at baseline) and task-modulated EC (M-EC; induced by experimental conditions) with dynamic causal modeling (DCM) across various data processing conditions, including different general linear model (GLM) designs, Bayesian model reduction, and different cross-validation schemes and prediction models. We report evident differences in predicting RT and age between I-EC and M-EC, as well as between event-related and block-based GLM and DCM designs. M-EC outperformed both I-EC and task-evoked FC in RT prediction, while all types of connectivity performed similarly for age. Event-related GLM and DCM designs performed better than block-based designs. Our findings suggest that task-evoked I-EC and M-EC may capture different phenotypic attributes, with performance influenced by data processing and modeling choices, particularly the GLM-DCM design. This evaluation of methods for behavior prediction from brain EC may contribute to a meta-scientific understanding of how data processing and modeling frameworks influence neuroimaging-based predictions, offering insights for improving their robustness and efficacy.</p>","PeriodicalId":48520,"journal":{"name":"Network Neuroscience","volume":"9 2","pages":"591-614"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12140579/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144250368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Network NeurosciencePub Date : 2025-04-30eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00446
Magdalena Camenzind, Rahel A Steuri, Branislav Savic, Fred W Mast, René M Müri, Aleksandra K Eberhard-Moscicka
{"title":"The impact of transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) on alpha coherence and verbal divergent thinking.","authors":"Magdalena Camenzind, Rahel A Steuri, Branislav Savic, Fred W Mast, René M Müri, Aleksandra K Eberhard-Moscicka","doi":"10.1162/netn_a_00446","DOIUrl":"10.1162/netn_a_00446","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Random noise stimulation (tRNS) applied to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) enhances fluency and originality in verbal divergent thinking tasks. However, the underlying neural mechanisms of this behavioral change remain unclear. Given that the DLPFC is a key node of the executive control network (ECN) and that creativity is a two-stage process in which the ECN is primarily involved in the final idea selection stage, application of tRNS to this region shall not only result in an increase of originality and flexibility but also in a modulation of EEG activity. To test these assumptions, we collected 256-channel EEG of 40 participants before and after tRNS/sham applied to the DLPFC, during which participants performed two verbal creativity tasks. To assess stimulation-induced connectivity changes and to capture large-scale cortical communication, a source space alpha (8-12 Hz) imaginary coherence was calculated. We found that the tRNS-induced improvements in originality and flexibility were associated with bilateral DLPFC alpha coherence changes. From a large-scale networks perspective, these results suggest that tRNS-induced ECN activity is associated with increased originality and flexibility, potentially by enhancing selectivity in the idea evaluation phase. This study, for the first time, indicates a link between neurophysiological activity and tRNS-induced changes in verbal creativity.</p>","PeriodicalId":48520,"journal":{"name":"Network Neuroscience","volume":"9 2","pages":"569-590"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12140578/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144250370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Network NeurosciencePub Date : 2025-04-30eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00443
Yosuke Morishima, Martijn van den Heuvel, Werner Strik, Thomas Dierks
{"title":"Neurobiologically informed graph theory analysis of the language system.","authors":"Yosuke Morishima, Martijn van den Heuvel, Werner Strik, Thomas Dierks","doi":"10.1162/netn_a_00443","DOIUrl":"10.1162/netn_a_00443","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent advancements in neuroimaging data analysis facilitate the characterization of adaptive changes in brain network integration. This study introduces a distinctive approach that merges knowledge-informed and data-driven methodologies, offering a nuanced way to more effectively understand these changes. Utilizing graph network analysis, along with existing neurobiological knowledge of domain-specific brain network systems, we uncover a deeper understanding of brain network interaction and integration. As a proof of concept, we applied our approach to the language domain, a well-known large-scale network system as a representative model system, using functional imaging datasets with specific language tasks for validation of our proposed approach. Our results revealed a double dissociation between motor and sensory language modules during word generation and comprehension tasks. Furthermore, by introducing a hierarchical nature of brain networks and introducing local and global metrics, we demonstrated that hierarchical levels of networks exhibit distinct ways of integration of language brain networks. This innovative approach facilitates a differentiated and thorough interpretation of brain network function in local and global manners, marking a significant advancement in our ability to investigate adaptive changes in brain network integration in health and disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":48520,"journal":{"name":"Network Neuroscience","volume":"9 2","pages":"504-521"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12140569/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144250367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Network NeurosciencePub Date : 2025-03-20eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00442
Marina Vegué, Antoine Allard, Patrick Desrosiers
{"title":"Firing rate distributions in plastic networks of spiking neurons.","authors":"Marina Vegué, Antoine Allard, Patrick Desrosiers","doi":"10.1162/netn_a_00442","DOIUrl":"10.1162/netn_a_00442","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In recurrent networks of leaky integrate-and-fire neurons, the mean-field theory has been instrumental in capturing the statistical properties of neuronal activity, like firing rate distributions. This theory has been applied to networks with either homogeneous synaptic weights and heterogeneous connections per neuron or vice versa. Our work expands mean-field models to include networks with both types of structural heterogeneity simultaneously, particularly focusing on those with synapses that undergo plastic changes. The model introduces a spike trace for each neuron, a variable that rises with neuron spikes and decays without activity, influenced by a degradation rate <i>r</i> <sub><i>p</i></sub> and the neuron's firing rate <i>ν</i>. When the ratio <i>α</i> = <i>ν</i>/<i>r</i> <sub><i>p</i></sub> is significantly high, this trace effectively estimates the neuron's firing rate, allowing synaptic weights at equilibrium to be determined by the firing rates of connected neurons. This relationship is incorporated into our mean-field formalism, providing exact solutions for firing rate and synaptic weight distributions at equilibrium in the high <i>α</i> regime. However, the model remains accurate within a practical range of degradation rates, as demonstrated through simulations with networks of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. This approach sheds light on how plasticity modulates both activity and structure within neuronal networks, offering insights into their complex behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":48520,"journal":{"name":"Network Neuroscience","volume":"9 1","pages":"447-474"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11949577/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143753745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Network NeurosciencePub Date : 2025-03-20eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00435
Lucius S Fekonja, Stephanie J Forkel, Dogu Baran Aydogan, Pantelis Lioumis, Alberto Cacciola, Carolin Weiß Lucas, Jacques-Donald Tournier, Francesco Vergani, Petra Ritter, Robert Schenk, Boshra Shams, Melina Julia Engelhardt, Thomas Picht
{"title":"Translational network neuroscience: Nine roadblocks and possible solutions.","authors":"Lucius S Fekonja, Stephanie J Forkel, Dogu Baran Aydogan, Pantelis Lioumis, Alberto Cacciola, Carolin Weiß Lucas, Jacques-Donald Tournier, Francesco Vergani, Petra Ritter, Robert Schenk, Boshra Shams, Melina Julia Engelhardt, Thomas Picht","doi":"10.1162/netn_a_00435","DOIUrl":"10.1162/netn_a_00435","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Translational network neuroscience aims to integrate advanced neuroimaging and data analysis techniques into clinical practice to better understand and treat neurological disorders. Despite the promise of technologies such as functional MRI and diffusion MRI combined with network analysis tools, the field faces several challenges that hinder its swift clinical translation. We have identified nine key roadblocks that impede this process: (a) theoretical and basic science foundations; (b) network construction, data interpretation, and validation; (c) MRI access, data variability, and protocol standardization; (d) data sharing; (e) computational resources and expertise; (f) interdisciplinary collaboration; (g) industry collaboration and commercialization; (h) operational efficiency, integration, and training; and (i) ethical and legal considerations. To address these challenges, we propose several possible solution strategies. By aligning scientific goals with clinical realities and establishing a sound ethical framework, translational network neuroscience can achieve meaningful advances in personalized medicine and ultimately improve patient care. We advocate for an interdisciplinary commitment to overcoming translational hurdles in network neuroscience and integrating advanced technologies into routine clinical practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":48520,"journal":{"name":"Network Neuroscience","volume":"9 1","pages":"352-370"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11949582/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Network NeurosciencePub Date : 2025-03-20eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00437
Xiaojing Fang, Michael Marxen
{"title":"Test-retest reliability of dynamic functional connectivity parameters for a two-state model.","authors":"Xiaojing Fang, Michael Marxen","doi":"10.1162/netn_a_00437","DOIUrl":"10.1162/netn_a_00437","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reliability of imaging parameters is of pivotal importance for further correlation analyses. Here, we investigated the test-retest reliability of two dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) brain states and related parameters for different scan length, atlases with 116 versus 442 regions, and data centering in 23 participants and reproduced the findings in 501 subjects of the Human Connectome Project. Results showed an integrated and a segregated brain state with high intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values of the states between sessions (0.67 ≥ ICC ≥ 0.99). The most reliable dFC parameter was state prevalence with an ICC ≈ 0.5 for ∼15 min of uncentered data, while other parameters, such as mean dwell time, were much less reliable. While shorter scans and within-subject data centering further reduce reliability, the atlas choice had no effects. Spearman's correlations among dFC parameters strongly depend on data centering. The effect of global signal regression and a higher number of states is discussed. In conclusion, we recommend formulating hypotheses on cross-sectional differences and correlations between dFC measures of brain integration and other subject-specific measures in terms of state prevalence, especially in small-scale studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":48520,"journal":{"name":"Network Neuroscience","volume":"9 1","pages":"371-391"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11949578/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Network NeurosciencePub Date : 2025-03-20eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00430
Anna Corriveau, Jin Ke, Hiroki Terashima, Hirohito M Kondo, Monica D Rosenberg
{"title":"Functional brain networks predicting sustained attention are not specific to perceptual modality.","authors":"Anna Corriveau, Jin Ke, Hiroki Terashima, Hirohito M Kondo, Monica D Rosenberg","doi":"10.1162/netn_a_00430","DOIUrl":"10.1162/netn_a_00430","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sustained attention is essential for daily life and can be directed to information from different perceptual modalities, including audition and vision. Recently, cognitive neuroscience has aimed to identify neural predictors of behavior that generalize across datasets. Prior work has shown strong generalization of models trained to predict individual differences in sustained attention performance from patterns of fMRI functional connectivity. However, it is an open question whether predictions of sustained attention are specific to the perceptual modality in which they are trained. In the current study, we test whether connectome-based models predict performance on attention tasks performed in different modalities. We show first that a predefined network trained to predict adults' <i>visual</i> sustained attention performance generalizes to predict <i>auditory</i> sustained attention performance in three independent datasets (<i>N</i> <sub>1</sub> = 29, <i>N</i> <sub>2</sub> = 60, <i>N</i> <sub>3</sub> = 17). Next, we train new network models to predict performance on visual and auditory attention tasks separately. We find that functional networks are largely modality general, with both model-unique and shared model features predicting sustained attention performance in independent datasets regardless of task modality. Results support the supposition that visual and auditory sustained attention rely on shared neural mechanisms and demonstrate robust generalizability of whole-brain functional network models of sustained attention.</p>","PeriodicalId":48520,"journal":{"name":"Network Neuroscience","volume":"9 1","pages":"303-325"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11949588/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143753790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Network NeurosciencePub Date : 2025-03-20eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00426
Christoffer G Alexandersen, Linda Douw, Mona L M Zimmermann, Christian Bick, Alain Goriely
{"title":"Functional connectotomy of a whole-brain model reveals tumor-induced alterations to neuronal dynamics in glioma patients.","authors":"Christoffer G Alexandersen, Linda Douw, Mona L M Zimmermann, Christian Bick, Alain Goriely","doi":"10.1162/netn_a_00426","DOIUrl":"10.1162/netn_a_00426","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Brain tumors can induce pathological changes in neuronal dynamics that are reflected in functional connectivity measures. Here, we use a whole-brain modeling approach to investigate pathological alterations to neuronal activity in glioma patients. By fitting a Hopf whole-brain model to empirical functional connectivity, we investigate glioma-induced changes in optimal model parameters. We observe considerable differences in neuronal dynamics between glioma patients and healthy controls, both on an individual and population-based level. In particular, model parameter estimation suggests that local tumor pathology causes changes in brain dynamics by increasing the influence of interregional interactions on global neuronal activity. Our approach demonstrates that whole-brain models provide valuable insights for understanding glioma-associated alterations in functional connectivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":48520,"journal":{"name":"Network Neuroscience","volume":"9 1","pages":"280-302"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11949587/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143754845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}