A challenge in linking brain activity to behavior is that brain activity, measured by tools like fMRI, is very complex. This makes it hard to find the same patterns in different people.
In a new study, Yale researchers simplified fMRI data and found common brain activity patterns in over 300 people. These findings help identify biomarkers for mental health disorders.
The study, published on Sept. 24 in PLOS Biology, aimed to find reliable brain activity patterns linked to human behavior. Since brain activity is complex and can vary, the researchers wanted to see the same patterns across different people.
Researchers used fMRI scans from 337 young adults to capture brain activity, similar to breaking down dance into simple moves. Looking at the brain during rest, they could see how brain activity changed over time.
Each brain snapshot showed many networks working together, making the data complex. To find common patterns, the researchers used data dimension reduction. This technique simplifies complicated brain data, similar to breaking a complex dance into a few basic moves. After streamlining the data, they found three repeated brain activity patterns in all participants.
The study found that while all participants showed similar brain patterns, there were differences between individuals. Some people spend more time in certain brain states or switch between states differently. These patterns could show both common behaviors and personal differences.
The researchers now want to apply this method to study psychiatric disorders. By comparing healthy people and those with mental illness, they might find brain patterns that could act as markers (biomarkers) for diagnosing or understanding psychiatric conditions.
This study supports the idea that brain patterns can reveal important information. The researchers found that the time people spent in specific brain patterns and how they switched between them were linked to thinking skills, managing emotions, and alcohol or drug use.
Finding these patterns in people with mental health issues could help explain how brain activity relates to specific symptoms and how it varies between individuals.
Journal reference :
- Kangjoo Lee, Jie Lisa Ji, et al., Human brain state dynamics are highly reproducible and associated with neural and behavioral features. PLOS Biology. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002808.
