Identification of alterations associated with age in the clustering structure of functional bra in networks

Autor(es)

Guzman, Grover E. C. ^[1] ; Sato, Joao R. ^[2] ; Vidal, Maciel C. ^[1] ; Fujita, Andre ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Math & Stat, Dept Comp Sci, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed ABC, Ctr Math Computat & Cognit, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: PLoS One; v. 13, n. 5 MAY 24 2018.
• Citações Web of Science: 1

Resumo

Initial studies using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging on the trajectories of the brain network from childhood to adulthood found evidence of functional integration and segregation over time. The comprehension of how healthy individuals' functional integration and segregation occur is crucial to enhance our understanding of possible deviations that may lead to brain disorders. Recent approaches have focused on the framework wherein the functional brain network is organized into spatially distributed modules that have been associated with specific cognitive functions. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the clustering structure of brain networks evolves during development. To address this hypothesis, we defined a measure of how well a brain region is clustered (network fitness index), and developed a method to evaluate its association with age. Then, we applied this method to a functional magnetic resonance imaging data set composed of 397 males under 31 years of age collected as part of the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange Consortium. As results, we identified two brain regions for which the clustering change over time, namely, the left middle temporal gyrus and the left putamen. Since the network fitness index is associated with both integration and segregation, our finding suggests that the identified brain region plays a role in the development of brain systems. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 16/13422-9 - Métodos estatísticos para grafos com aplicações em ciências da vida
• Beneficiário: André Fujita
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 15/01587-0 - Armazenagem, modelagem e análise de sistemas dinâmicos para aplicações em e-Science
• Beneficiário: João Eduardo Ferreira
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa eScience e Data Science - Temático