Fractal geometry predicts dynamic differences in structural and functional connectomes

TL;DR

This paper introduces a fractal geometry-based approach to analyze brain connectomes, revealing fundamental differences between structural and functional networks and providing new markers for brain state differentiation.

Contribution

The study applies complex dynamics and fractal analysis to brain networks, demonstrating their effectiveness over traditional graph measures in capturing neural dynamics and states.

Findings

Structural connectomes are more predictable and robust.

Functional connectomes show increased variability during tasks.

Fractal invariants differentiate brain states better than traditional measures.

Abstract

Understanding the intricate architecture of brain networks and its connection to brain function is essential for deciphering the underlying principles of cognition and disease. While traditional graph-theoretical measures have been widely used to characterize these networks, they often fail to fully capture the emergent properties of large-scale neural dynamics. Here, we introduce an alternative approach to quantify brain networks that is rooted in complex dynamics, fractal geometry, and asymptotic analysis. We apply these concepts to brain connectomes and demonstrate how quadratic iterations and geometric properties of Mandelbrot-like sets can provide novel insights into structural and functional network dynamics. Our findings reveal fundamental distinctions between structural (positive) and functional (signed) connectomes, such as the shift of cusp orientation and the variability in equi-M set geometry. Notably, structural connectomes exhibit more robust, predictable features, while functional connectomes show increased variability for non-trivial tasks. We further demonstrate that traditional graph-theoretical measures, when applied separately to the positive and negative sub-networks of functional connectomes, fail to fully capture their dynamic complexity. Instead, size and shape-based invariants of the equi-M set effectively differentiate between rest and emotional task states, which highlights their potential as superior markers of emergent network dynamics. These results suggest that incorporating fractal-based methods into network neuroscience provides a powerful tool for understanding how information flows in natural systems beyond static connectivity measures, while maintaining their simplicity.