New framework reveals key insights into time persistence in human brain networks

A new international and multidisciplinary study has unveiled a novel framework for understanding the concept of time persistence in the human brain, shedding light on its essential role in brain functioning and cognition. This research, which explores how long the brain’s functional networks remain in a particular state before transitioning to another, opens new doors to our understanding of human cognition and behavior.

Time persistence is a fundamental property observed in many complex physical and biological systems, but its role in the human brain has yet to be thoroughly investigated at the network level. Using a new analytical framework, the team, led by Dr. Vadim Axelrod, from the Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center at Bar-Ilan University, and Prof. Shlomo Havlin, from the Department of Physics at Bar-Ilan University, conducted a detailed investigation of the brain network during resting-state based on the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data across three datasets, including both male and female participants.

The findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, reveal that the brain’s functional network gradually becomes less similar to itself as the time gap between measurements increases, showing distinct patterns within and across different individuals brain networks.

Key findings of the study include:

1. Gradual Decrease in Time Persistence: The functional brain network was found to become progressively less similar to itself within a 23-minute period, with even more significant changes observed between measurements taken on different days.
2. Variation Across Brain Networks: The study revealed that sensory networks exhibit greater persistence than non-sensory networks, indicating that certain areas of the brain maintain stability over time more than others.
3. Stable Individual Differences: The research demonstrated that individuals have a stable, characteristic time persistence pattern, which is influenced by genetic factors. This stability provides potential for future exploration of how time persistence might correlate with behavioral traits.
4. Potential Link to Cognitive Performance: Further analysis suggests that individual differences in time persistence could be linked to differences in cognitive and behavioral performance, opening up exciting directions for future research on brain function and performance.

The work offers new insight into the role that network time persistence plays in brain functioning, supporting the idea that how long the brain remains in a certain network configuration could be linked to individual cognitive abilities and genetics.

"Our brain is a huge, constantly changing network. Here, we show that these changes are individual-specific, such that in some people the network changes quickly, while in others it changes slowly,” said Dr. Vadim Axelrod, from Bar-Ilan University’s Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center. “Furthermore, we show that these changes are partly genetically determined and can be linked to individual cognitive performance. We hope that our study will inspire future research in this direction," said Prof. Shlomo Havlin, from Bar-Ilan’s Department of Physics.