Narges Chinichian: Investigation of Dynamical Brain Networks - A closer look at brain flexibility and its applications

BCCN Berlin / Technische Universität Berlin

Abstract

The thesis “Investigation of Dynamical Brain Networks, A closer look at brain flexibility and its applications” focuses on the dynamical network analysis as a mean to understand the cognitive functions of human brain. After a general introduction to networks and brain imaging, a novel method to calculate brain flexibility is introduced. Brain flexibility is the measure that informs us how groups of nodes in the brain are exchanging their members to facilitate the performance of cognitive tasks. The empirical networks in this work are constructed using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data. After introducing the novel method, a flexibility pattern from a previously studied cohort of over 300 participants is regenerated as a comparison basis.  The brain scans are collected during the performance of a working memory task. After showing effectiveness of the method on healthy controls, flexibility measure is used to classify schizophrenia patients and healthy controls into separate groups based on their differences in Theory of Mind (ToM) task. Next, the results from a resting state study on depressive patients with and without suicidal ideation and history of suicide attempts are briefly reported as the findings of a collaborator group. Finally, a simplified physics oscillator model is employed and implemented as a computer simulation to regenerate the empirical flexibility pattern on artificial brain and answer questions regarding the mechanism behind our observed flexibility.

 

 

Additional Information

PhD defense in the International Doctoral Program Computational Neuroscience

Organized by

Prof. Eckehard Schöll, Prof. Tilo Schwalger, & Prof. Henrik Walter