The human brain is an inherently complex and dynamic system. Even at rest, functional brain networks dynamically reconfigure in a well-organized way to warrant an efficient communication between brain regions. However, a precise characterization of this reconfiguration at very fast time-scale (hundreds of millisecond) during rest remains elusive. In this study, we used dense electroencephalography data recorded during task-free paradigm to track the fast temporal dynamics of spontaneous brain networks. Results obtained from network-based analysis methods revealed the existence of a functional dynamic core network formed of a set of key brain regions that ensure segregation and integration functions. Brain regions within this functional core share high betweenness centrality, strength and vulnerability (high impact on the network global efficiency) and low clustering coefficient. These regions are mainly located in the cingulate and the medial frontal cortex. In particular, most of the identified hubs were found to belong to the Default Mode Network. Results also revealed that the same central regions may dynamically alternate and play the role of either provincial (local) or connector (global) hubs.
These findings may contribute to the development of EEG network-based test that could strengthen results obtained from currently-used neurophysiological tests in neurodegenerative diseases.
The brain is a large-scale complex network often referred to as the “connectome”. Exploring the dynamic behavior of the connectome is a challenging issue as both excellent time and space resolution is required. In this context Magneto/Electroencephalography (M/EEG) are effective neuroimaging techniques allowing for analysis of the dynamics of functional brain networks at scalp level and/or at reconstructed sources. However, a tool that can cover all the processing steps of identifying brain networks from M/EEG data is still missing. In this paper, we report a novel software package, called EEGNET, running under MATLAB (Math works, inc), and allowing for analysis and visualization of functional brain networks from M/EEG recordings. EEGNET is developed to analyze networks either at the level of scalp electrodes or at the level of reconstructed cortical sources. It includes i) Basic steps in preprocessing M/EEG signals, ii) the solution of the inverse problem to localize / reconstruct the cortical sources, iii) the computation of functional connectivity among signals collected at surface electrodes or/and time courses of reconstructed sources and iv) the computation of the network measures based on graph theory analysis. EEGNET is the unique tool that combines the M/EEG functional connectivity analysis and the computation of network measures derived from the graph theory. The first version of EEGNET is easy to use, flexible and user friendly. EEGNET is an open source tool and can be freely downloaded from this webpage: https://sites.google.com/site/eegnetworks/.
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