Multiscale criticality measures as general-purpose gauges of proper brain function.
Scientific Reports July 14, 2021 Tomer Fekete, Hermann Hinrichs, Jacobo Diego Sitt et al.
The brain is understood as an information processing system, and its activity is organized into hierarchical spatiotemporal loops. Successful processing depends on matching the multiscale delay structure of neural networks. Reduced information processing capacity appears as deviations from this multiscale character, captured by multiscale criticality measures (MsCr). Applying MsCr to MEG and EEG data, the authors found that MsCr measures systematically varied with information processing capacity across four compromised states: disorders of consciousness, mild cognitive impairment, schizophrenia, and pre-ictal activity. The authors propose that MsCr measures might serve as general gauges of information processing capacity and normative measures of brain health.