Interaction of functional brain networks is formed by k-clique percolation in the human structural connectome

TL;DR

This paper investigates how high-order k-clique percolation shapes the human structural connectome, revealing its role in functional subnetworks and introducing a novel model for network formation with phase transition dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a new model for high-order clique percolation in brain networks and links structural clique clusters to functional subnetwork interactions.

Findings

High-order k-clique percolation characterizes the human connectome.

Structural clique clusters relate to functional subnetwork interactions.

Individual-specific connections contribute to variability in functional connectivity.

Abstract

The human structural connectome has a complex internal community organization, characterized by a high degree of overlap and related to functional and cognitive phenomena. We explored connectivity properties in connectome networks and showed that $k$-clique percolation of an anomalously high order is characteristic of the human structural connectome. The resulting structural organization maintains a high local density of connectivity distributed throughout the connectome while preserving the overall sparsity of the network. To analyze these findings, we proposed a novel model for the emergence of high-order clique percolation during network formation with a phase transition dynamic under constraints on connection length. Investigating the structural basis of functional brain subnetworks, we identified a direct relationship between their interaction and the formation of clique clusters within their structural connections. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that the percolating clique cluster serves as a distributed boundary between interacting functional subnetworks, showing the complex, complementary nature of their structural connections. We also examined the difference between individual-specific and common structural connections and found that the latter plays a sustaining role in the connectivity of structural communities. At the same time, the superiority of individual connections, in contrast to common ones, creates variability in the interaction of functional brain subnetworks.