Hierarchical Organization Unveiled by Functional Connectivity in Complex Brain Networks (original) (raw)

Abstract

How do diverse dynamical patterns arise from the topology of complex networks? We study synchronization dynamics in the cortical brain network of the cat, which displays a hierarchically clustered organization, by modeling each node (cortical area) with a subnetwork of interacting excitable neurons. We find that in the biologically plausible regime the dynamics exhibits a hierarchical modular organization, in particular, revealing functional clusters coinciding with the anatomical communities at different scales. Our results provide insights into the relationship between network topology and functional organization of complex brain networks.

• Received 30 June 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.238103

©2006 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Changsong Zhou1, Lucia Zemanová1, Gorka Zamora1, Claus C. Hilgetag2, and Jürgen Kurths1

• 1Institute of Physics, University of Potsdam PF 601553, 14415 Potsdam, Germany
• 2International University Bremen, Campus Ring 6, RII-116, D-28759 Bremen, Germany

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Images

• Figure 1

(a) Anatomical connection matrix MA of the cortical network of the cat brain. The symbols represent different densities (weights) of the fiber connections: 1 (•, sparse), 2 (∘, intermediate), and 3 (*, dense). The organization of the system into four topological communities (functional subsystems V, A, SM, and FL) is indicated by the solid lines. (b) The number of connections between the four communities.Reuse & Permissions

• Figure 2

Mean activity X of one area at various couplings: (a) g=0.06, (b) g=0.082, and (c) g=0.09. (d) The average correlation coefficient ⟨R⟩=1N(N−1)∑I≠JNR(I,J) (N=53) vs g.Reuse & Permissions

• Figure 3

Correlation matrices R(I,J) at (a) weak coupling g=0.06 and (b) strong coupling g=0.09.Reuse & Permissions

• Figure 4

(a) Distribution of the correlation R (g=0.07) for all nodes (solid line), P2 (dotted line), P1 (dashed line), and P0 (light solid line) and for surrogate data (dashed-dotted line). (b) Modularity QF (solid line) and Hamming distance H (dashed line) vs Rth. The horizontal solid line is Qall. The vertical solid lines in (a) and (d) denote the natural threshold Rth=0.019. The functional networks MF (∘) at various thresholds (c) Rth=0.070, (d) Rth=0.065, (e) Rth=0.055, and (f) Rth=0.019. The small dots indicate the anatomical connections.Reuse & Permissions

• Figure 5

(a) The hierarchical tree of the dynamical clusters at g=0.07. (b) Modularities QC (∘) and QA (•) vs the number of clusters Nc. The dashed line denotes Qall.Reuse & Permissions

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