Geometric constraints on human brain function

James C. Pang (), Kevin M. Aquino, Marianne Oldehinkel, Peter A. Robinson, Ben D. Fulcher, Michael Breakspear and Alex Fornito
Additional contact information
James C. Pang: Monash University
Kevin M. Aquino: University of Sydney
Marianne Oldehinkel: Radboud University Medical Centre
Peter A. Robinson: University of Sydney
Ben D. Fulcher: University of Sydney
Michael Breakspear: University of Newcastle
Alex Fornito: Monash University

Nature, 2023, vol. 618, issue 7965, 566-574

Abstract: Abstract The anatomy of the brain necessarily constrains its function, but precisely how remains unclear. The classical and dominant paradigm in neuroscience is that neuronal dynamics are driven by interactions between discrete, functionally specialized cell populations connected by a complex array of axonal fibres1–3. However, predictions from neural field theory, an established mathematical framework for modelling large-scale brain activity4–6, suggest that the geometry of the brain may represent a more fundamental constraint on dynamics than complex interregional connectivity7,8. Here, we confirm these theoretical predictions by analysing human magnetic resonance imaging data acquired under spontaneous and diverse task-evoked conditions. Specifically, we show that cortical and subcortical activity can be parsimoniously understood as resulting from excitations of fundamental, resonant modes of the brain’s geometry (that is, its shape) rather than from modes of complex interregional connectivity, as classically assumed. We then use these geometric modes to show that task-evoked activations across over 10,000 brain maps are not confined to focal areas, as widely believed, but instead excite brain-wide modes with wavelengths spanning over 60 mm. Finally, we confirm predictions that the close link between geometry and function is explained by a dominant role for wave-like activity, showing that wave dynamics can reproduce numerous canonical spatiotemporal properties of spontaneous and evoked recordings. Our findings challenge prevailing views and identify a previously underappreciated role of geometry in shaping function, as predicted by a unifying and physically principled model of brain-wide dynamics.

Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06098-1 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:nature:v:618:y:2023:i:7965:d:10.1038_s41586-023-06098-1

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06098-1

Access Statistics for this article

Nature is currently edited by Magdalena Skipper

More articles in Nature from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().