Interplay of synchronization and cortical input in models of brain networks

TL;DR

This paper investigates how synchronization patterns in brain network models are influenced by topology, input location, and signal frequency, highlighting their roles in perception and potential pathological states.

Contribution

It demonstrates how external cortical stimulation affects synchronization in a network model using FitzHugh-Nagumo oscillators with real structural connectivity data.

Findings

Synchronization depends on network topology, input location, and frequency.

External stimulation can modulate synchronization patterns.

Results relate to auditory perception and brain disorders.

Abstract

It is well known that synchronization patterns and coherence have a major role in the functioning of brain networks, both in pathological and in healthy states. In particular, in the perception of sound, one can observe an increase in coherence between the global dynamics in the network and the auditory input. In this perspective article, we show that synchronization scenarios are determined by a fine interplay between network topology, the location of the input, and frequencies of these cortical input signals. To this end, we analyze the influence of an external stimulation in a network of FitzHugh-Nagumo oscillators with empirically measured structural connectivity, and discuss different areas of cortical stimulation, including the auditory cortex.