Scale-free dynamics in the core-periphery topography and task alignment decline from conscious to unconscious states
Philipp Klar, Yasir Çatal, Robert Langner, Zirui Huang, Georg Northoff
Communications Biology May 9, 2023 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04879-y via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractScale-free physiological processes are common in the human body. Resting-state fMRI studies found that anesthesia eliminates scale-free dynamics. This study examines scale-free dynamics in the cerebral cortex's unimodal periphery and transmodal core during rest and tasks at three conscious levels (awake, sedation, anesthesia), complemented by computational modeling. The results show that anesthesia transforms pink noise into white noise, disrupting the brain's alignment with a task's temporal structure. The model indicates that stimuli with pink noise, unlike brown or white noise, modulate task-related activity. The findings support two mechanisms of consciousness—temporo-spatial nestedness and alignment—proposed by the Temporo-Spatial Theory of Consciousness.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort and computational modeling Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Neuroscience Dynamics music Consciousness Noise video Task project management |
| Citations | 35 |
| Key finding | Loss of scale-free dynamics in the brain's core-periphery topography during anesthesia transforms pink noise into white noise, disrupting neuronal alignment with a task's temporal structure. |
Abstract
Scale-free physiological processes are ubiquitous in the human organism. Resting-state functional MRI studies observed the loss of scale-free dynamics under anesthesia. In contrast, the modulation of scale-free dynamics during task-related activity remains an open question. We investigate scale-free dynamics in the cerebral cortex's unimodal periphery and transmodal core topography in rest and task states during three conscious levels (awake, sedation, and anesthesia) complemented by computational modelling (Stuart-Landau model). The empirical findings demonstrate that the loss of the brain's intrinsic scale-free dynamics in the core-periphery topography during anesthesia, where pink noise transforms into white noise, disrupts the brain's neuronal alignment with the task's temporal structure. The computational model shows that the stimuli's scale-free dynamics, namely pink noise distinguishes from brown and white noise, also modulate task-related activity. Together, we provide evidence for two mechanisms of consciousness, temporo-spatial nestedness and alignment, suggested by the Temporo-Spatial Theory of Consciousness (TTC).