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Krasnow Institute > Monday Seminars > Abstracts
Many kinds of complex systems exhibit dynamical states that emerge as the result of functional interactions within a structural network. One such complex system is the brain, which is composed of numerous neuronal units arranged into networks through anatomically defined connections. The activity of these neuronal units gives rise to functional dynamics, characterized by neuronal activation and co-activation, underlying perceptual and cognitive states. Given this intricate relationship between structure and function, the question of how patterns of anatomical connectivity constrain or determine patterns of functional connectivity is of considerable theoretical importance. In this talk, I will give an overview of how anatomical and functional connectivity are defined and measured in the brain. Then, I will present computational approaches to the analysis of large numbers of networks in terms of both structure and function. I will use graph theory to characterize their structural features and statistical information theory to derive global measures of their functional dynamics, as expressed in their covariance matrix. Several classes of functional dynamics can be distinguished, each associated with particular patterns of anatomical connectivity. The results are discussed in the context of recent findings in human neuroimaging and cognitive neuroscience.
The Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study |
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