Network structure shapes spontaneous functional connectivity dynamics

Authors

Kelly Shen, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario M6A 2E1, Canada, kshen@research.baycrest.org.
R Matthew Hutchison, Robarts Research Institute and Harvard University, Department of Psychology, Center for Brain Science, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, and.
Gleb Bezgin, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario M6A 2E1, Canada.
Stefan Everling, Robarts Research Institute and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5K8, Canada.
Anthony R. McIntosh, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario M6A 2E1, Canada, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-8-2015

Journal

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience

Volume

35

Issue

14

First Page

5579

Last Page

88

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4903-14.2015

Abstract

The structural organization of the brain constrains the range of interactions between different regions and shapes ongoing information processing. Therefore, it is expected that large-scale dynamic functional connectivity (FC) patterns, a surrogate measure of coordination between brain regions, will be closely tied to the fiber pathways that form the underlying structural network. Here, we empirically examined the influence of network structure on FC dynamics by comparing resting-state FC (rsFC) obtained using BOLD-fMRI in macaques (Macaca fascicularis) to structural connectivity derived from macaque axonal tract tracing studies. Consistent with predictions from simulation studies, the correspondence between rsFC and structural connectivity increased as the sample duration increased. Regions with reciprocal structural connections showed the most stable rsFC across time. The data suggest that the transient nature of FC is in part dependent on direct underlying structural connections, but also that dynamic coordination can occur via polysynaptic pathways. Temporal stability was found to be dependent on structural topology, with functional connections within the rich-club core exhibiting the greatest stability over time. We discuss these findings in light of highly variable functional hubs. The results further elucidate how large-scale dynamic functional coordination exists within a fixed structural architecture.