Neuron
Volume 92, Issue 2, 19 October 2016, Pages 544-554
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Article
The Dynamics of Functional Brain Networks: Integrated Network States during Cognitive Task Performance

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2016.09.018Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • The human brain network traverses segregated and integrated states over time

  • Integrated states enable fast, effective performance on an N-back task

  • Integrated states track with fluctuations in pupil diameter

  • Cognitive performance relates to the dynamic reorganization of brain architecture

Summary

Higher brain function relies upon the ability to flexibly integrate information across specialized communities of brain regions; however, it is unclear how this mechanism manifests over time. In this study, we used time-resolved network analysis of fMRI data to demonstrate that the human brain traverses between functional states that maximize either segregation into tight-knit communities or integration across otherwise disparate neural regions. Integrated states enable faster and more accurate performance on a cognitive task, and are associated with dilations in pupil diameter, suggesting that ascending neuromodulatory systems may govern the transition between these alternative modes of brain function. Together, our results confirm a direct link between cognitive performance and the dynamic reorganization of the network structure of the brain.

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Present address: Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 60606, USA

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