A new causal centrality measure reveals the prominent role of subcortical structures in the causal architecture of the extended default mode network.
Tahereh S Zarghami
Brain Structure and Function November 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02697-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 74 |
| Population | Healthy subjects |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Bayesian model reduction Causality Centrality Directed cyclic graph Dynamic causal model Intervention Subcortical |
| Key points | The authors propose "causal centrality" for dynamic causal models, a dynamics-sensitive measure based on intervention. In an average DCM of the extended default mode network from 74 healthy subjects, subcortical structures were more causally central than cortical regions, despite graph-theoretical centralities favoring cortical regions. Model comparison indicated that only the pattern of causal centrality was causally relevant. |
Abstract
Network representation has been an incredibly useful concept for understanding the behavior of complex systems in social sciences, biology, neuroscience, and beyond. Network science is mathematically founded on graph theory, where nodal importance is gauged using measures of centrality. Notably, recent work suggests that the topological centrality of a node should not be over-interpreted as its dynamical or causal importance in the network. Hence, identifying the influential nodes in dynamic causal models (DCM) remains an open question. This paper introduces causal centrality for DCM, a dynamics-sensitive and causally-founded centrality measure based on the notion of intervention in graphical models. Operationally, this measure simplifies to an identifiable expression using Bayesian model reduction. As a proof of concept, the average DCM of the extended default mode network (eDMN) was computed in 74 healthy subjects. Next, causal centralities of different regions were computed for this causal graph, and compared against several graph-theoretical centralities. The results showed that the subcortical structures of the eDMN were more causally central than the cortical regions, even though the graph-theoretical centralities unanimously favored the latter. Importantly, model comparison revealed that only the pattern of causal centrality was causally relevant. These results are consistent with the crucial role of the subcortical structures in the neuromodulatory systems of the brain, and highlight their contribution to the organization of large-scale networks. Potential applications of causal centrality-to study causal models of other neurotypical and pathological functional networks-are discussed, and some future lines of research are outlined.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default mode network: where the idiosyncratic self meets the shared social world | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default-mode, ego-functions and free-energy: a neurobiological account of Freudian ideas | 2010 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Cooperation between the default mode network and the frontal–parietal network in the production of an internal train of thought | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity in Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology March 29, 2012
- Distant from input: Evidence of regions within the default mode network supporting perceptually-decoupled and conceptually-guided cognition Neuroimage January 12, 2018
- Functional Connectivity Measures After Psilocybin Inform a Novel Hypothesis of Early Psychosis Schizophrenia Bulletin October 6, 2012
- Structural and functional connectivity of the precuneus and thalamus to the default mode network Human Brain Mapping October 14, 2016
and 2 more in the library