# Neurocognitive characterization of behaviour and mental illness through time-varying brain network analysis

## TL;DR

The paper shows that analyzing changing brain networks over time provides better insights into cognitive processes and mental health than traditional static methods.

## Contribution

The study introduces time-varying functional network connectivity as a more accurate neural proxy for cognition and psychopathology.

## Key findings

- Time-varying FNC patterns persist across resting and task-based fMRI and fluctuate with task stimuli.
- Regional FNC distinguishes specific task conditions and explains more variance in psychopathology symptoms than static connectivity.

## Abstract

Human cognitive processing involves dynamic interactions across brain regions, evolving over time. Traditional neuroimaging analysis often overlooks this temporal aspect, limiting insights into how functional network connectivity (FNC) supports ongoing cognition and behaviour. Using sliding window analysis, we captured FNC changes during tasks, reflecting network reconfiguration in cognitive processes. We further determined behavioural relevance of time-varying FNC by relating network measurements with task performances and psychopathology. We found that several whole-brain FNC patterns, or states, persist across resting and task-based fMRI, with state occurrences fluctuating with the most prominent task stimuli. Regional FNC distinguishes specific task conditions, and time-varying FNC explains more variance in psychopathology symptoms compared to static connectivity. These findings highlight that cognitive tasks reshape regional and whole-brain connectivity. By considering the different FNC states, time-varying connectivity provides a more comprehensive representation of brain interactions and thus may represent a better neural proxy for cognition and behaviour.

Here, the authors find that time-varying brain network analysis better captures cognitive processing than static methods and reveals network measurement linked to task performance and psychopathology that offer precise neural markers for mental health risks.