Description
One of the neuroimaging community's challenges is understanding how brain activity is related to cognitive functions. As cognitive functioning requires the brain to allocate resources dynamically to different whole-brain networks, the community has shifted from a more static to different dynamic approaches to analyze functional neuroimaging data and understand cognitive functioning.In this symposium, we will present the different methods currently being used to analyze functional connectivity dynamics in both fMRI and M/EEG datasets. In doing so, we will present these methods' limitations and potential pitfalls but also showcase how the analysis of functional connectivity dynamics can provide new insights into neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis.
Dr Qian will present how structure-function decoupling evolves through childhood and underlies cognitive development in youth. Next, Dr. Iraji will introduce the concept of spatial dynamics to incorporate varying spatial configurations into functional connectivity analyses and how this new method translates into clinical applications. One method to capture dynamic brain activity is based on hidden-Markov models (HMMs, Vidaurre et al., Nat Comms 2018), where brain networks with a specific spectral profile – called brain states – are transiently activated. Yet, the main assumption here is that only one brain state is active at any time. To resolve this, Dr. Gohil will present his work on incorporating recurrent neural networks into the analysis of functional connectivity dynamics (Gohil et al. Neuroimage 2022). Finally, Ms Rossi will present her work on HMM-based dynamic brain networks activated during working memory in healthy controls (Rossi et al. Comms Biol 2023) and in people with multiple sclerosis.
Our symposium will highlight both the potential of different functional connectivity approaches to unravel cognitive changes in neuropsychiatric populations, but also highlight the potential pitfalls and challenges that may arise. By the end of the symposium, attendees will (1) be aware of the added value functional connectivity dynamics may bring to characterize dynamic, complex brain functions, (2) have an overview of the different assumptions underlying these methods, and (3) acknowledge the potential of these methods.
| Period | 25 Jun 2024 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Organization for Human Brain Mapping |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Seoul, Korea, Republic of |
| Degree of Recognition | International |