Dynamic small-world behavior in functional brain networks unveiled by an event-related networks approach

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2008 May;77(5 Pt 1):050905. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.77.050905. Epub 2008 May 30.

Abstract

There is growing interest in studying the role of connectivity patterns in brain functions. In recent years, functional brain networks were found to exhibit small-world properties during different brain states. In previous studies, time-independent networks were recovered from long time periods of brain activity. In this paper, we propose an approach, the event-related networks, that allows one to characterize the dynamical evolution of functional brain networks in time-frequency space. We illustrate this approach by characterizing connectivity patterns in magnetoencephalographic signals recorded during a visual stimulus paradigm. When compared with equivalent random and regular networks, the results reveal that functional connectivity varies with time and frequency during the processing of the stimulus, while maintaining a small-world structure. This approach may provide insights into the connectivity of other complex and spatially extended nonstationary systems.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials / physiology*
  • Brain / physiology*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Evoked Potentials, Visual / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Models, Neurological*
  • Nerve Net / physiology*
  • Neurons / physiology*
  • Synaptic Transmission / physiology*