ANNULÉE Conférence

Mardi 03 Mars 2020 – 13h – Salle 319

Conférence de Francesco de Pasquale de l’University of Teramo (Italie)

« A pulsatile regime of integration in the brain at rest «

Recent evidence from multi-modal studies (DTI, fMRI and MEG) suggests a new set of integration models in the brain at rest. Such integration integration of resting state networks seems to rely on two fundamental properties of their connectivity: the structural topology and temporal dynamics (1) (2). In this scenario, cortical hub regions seem to form a ‘dynamic core’ where the degree of interaction among these cores and the rest of the brain varies over time (3). From a functional point of view, alternating periods of strong and weak centrality of the dynamic core relate to periods of strong and weak global efficiency in the brain (4). This suggests that information processing in the brain is not stable but fluctuates in a pulsatile regime to ensure an efficient information transfer across distinct cognitive domains. Interestingly, within the dynamic core in terms of temporal dynamics of centrality functional hubs seem to behave differently: while some cores show an independent dynamic, a subset of them synchronize their temporal dynamics of centrality giving rise to three synchronization modes. These modes alternate over time and represent a temporal axis of integration across fundamental networks such as the Default Mode, Somato-Sensory and Fronto-Parietal ones. The temporal and topological properties of these modes will be represented together with the assessment of the vulnerability of the communication across the brain when these nodes are attacked. This work provides new insights on the fundamental question on the integration mechanisms in the brain at rest.

1.    de Pasquale, F., et al., The anatomical scaffold underlying the functional centrality of known cortical hubs. Hum Brain Mapp, 2017. 38(10): p. 5141-5160.
2.    de Pasquale, F., et al., Cortical cores in network dynamics. Neuroimage, 2018.
3.    de Pasquale, F., et al., A cortical core for dynamic integration of functional networks in the resting human brain. Neuron, 2012. 74(4): p. 753-764.
4.    de Pasquale, F., et al., A Dynamic Core Network and Global Efficiency in the Resting Human Brain. Cereb Cortex, 2016. 26(10): p. 4015-33.