What lies underneath: Precise classification of brain states using time-dependent topological structure of dynamics

Toscano, Fernando Soler; Galadí, Javier A.; Escrichs, Anira; Perl, Yonatan Sanz; López-González, Ane; Sitt, Jacobo; Annen, Jitka; Gosseries, Olivia; Thibaut, Aurore; Panda, Rajanikant; Esteban, Francisco J.; Laureys, Steven; Kringelbach, Morten L.; Langa, José A.; Deco, Gustavo

doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010412

Cited by 4 publications

References 52 publications

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Re-awakening the brain: Forcing transitions in disorders of consciousness by externalin silicoperturbation

Dagnino,

Escrichs,

López-González

et al. 2023

Preprint

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A fundamental challenge in neuroscience is accurately defining brain states and predicting how and where to perturb the brain to force a transition. The ability to promote a transition from one brain state to another by externally driven stimulation could significantly impact rehabilitation and treatments for patients suffering from complex brain injury cases. Thus, it is crucial to find therapeutic interventions able to re-balance the dynamics of brain disorders towards more healthy regimes. Here, we investigated resting-state fMRI data of patients suffering from disorders of consciousness (DoC) after coma (minimally conscious and unresponsive wakefulness states) and healthy controls. We applied model-free and model-based approaches to help elucidate the underlying brain mechanisms of patients with DoC. The model-free approach allowed us to characterize brain states in DoC and healthy controls as a probabilistic metastable substate (PMS) space. The PMS of each group was characterized by a repertoire of unique patterns (i.e., metastable substates) with different probabilities of occurrence. In the model-based approach, we adjusted the PMS of each DoC group to a causal whole-brain model. This allowed us to explore optimal strategies for promoting a transition to the PMS of the control group by applying off-linein silicoprobing. Furthermore, this approach enabled us to evaluate the impact of all possible local perturbations in terms of their global effects and sensitivity to stimulation, which is a biomarker providing a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying DoC. Our results show that transitions from DoC to more healthy regimes were obtained in a synchronous protocol, in which areas from the motor and subcortical networks were the most sensitive to perturbation. This motivates further work to continue understanding brain function and treatments of disorders of consciousness by external stimulation.

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Re-awakening the brain: Forcing transitions in disorders of consciousness by externalin silicoperturbation

Dagnino,

Escrichs,

López-González

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Re-awakening the brain: Forcing transitions in disorders of consciousness by external in silico perturbation

Dagnino,

Escrichs,

López-González

et al. 2024

PLoS Comput Biol

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A fundamental challenge in neuroscience is accurately defining brain states and predicting how and where to perturb the brain to force a transition. Here, we investigated resting-state fMRI data of patients suffering from disorders of consciousness (DoC) after coma (minimally conscious and unresponsive wakefulness states) and healthy controls. We applied model-free and model-based approaches to help elucidate the underlying brain mechanisms of patients with DoC. The model-free approach allowed us to characterize brain states in DoC and healthy controls as a probabilistic metastable substate (PMS) space. The PMS of each group was defined by a repertoire of unique patterns (i.e., metastable substates) with different probabilities of occurrence. In the model-based approach, we adjusted the PMS of each DoC group to a causal whole-brain model. This allowed us to explore optimal strategies for promoting transitions by applying off-line in silico probing. Furthermore, this approach enabled us to evaluate the impact of local perturbations in terms of their global effects and sensitivity to stimulation, which is a model-based biomarker providing a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying DoC. Our results show that transitions were obtained in a synchronous protocol, in which the somatomotor network, thalamus, precuneus and insula were the most sensitive areas to perturbation. This motivates further work to continue understanding brain function and treatments of disorders of consciousness.

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Consciousness, 4E cognition and Aristotle: a few conceptual and historical aspects

Stanciu

2023

Front. Comput. Neurosci.

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The new approach in cognitive science largely known as “4E cognition” (embodied/embedded/enactive/extended cognition), which sheds new light on the complex dynamics of human consciousness, seems to revive some of Aristotle's views. For instance, the concept of “nature” (phusis) and the discussion on “active intellect” (nous poiêtikos) may be particularly relevant in this respect. Out of the various definitions of “nature” in Aristotle's Physics, On the Parts of Animals and Second Analytics, I will concentrate on nature defined as an inner impulse to movement, neither entirely “corporeal,” nor entirely “incorporeal,” and neither entirely “substantial,” nor entirely “accidental.” Related to that, I will consider the distinction in On the Soul between the “active” and the “passive” intellect, which Aristotle asserted as generally present in “nature” itself. By offering a conceptual and historical analysis of these views, I intend to show how the mind–body problem, which is essential for the explanation of consciousness, could be somewhat either eluded or transcended by both ancients and contemporaries on the basis of a subtle account of causation. While not attempting to diminish the impact of the Cartesian paradigm, which led to the so-called “hard problem of consciousness,” I suggest that the most recent neuroscience discoveries on the neurophysiological phenomena related to human consciousness could be better explained and understood if interpreted within a 4E cognition paradigm, inspired by some Aristotelian views.

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What lies underneath: Precise classification of brain states using time-dependent topological structure of dynamics

Cited by 4 publications

References 52 publications

Re-awakening the brain: Forcing transitions in disorders of consciousness by externalin silicoperturbation

Re-awakening the brain: Forcing transitions in disorders of consciousness by externalin silicoperturbation

Re-awakening the brain: Forcing transitions in disorders of consciousness by external in silico perturbation

Consciousness, 4E cognition and Aristotle: a few conceptual and historical aspects

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