Individuals with psychiatric conditions show reduced flexibility in their brain network dynamics, according to a new Rutgers study. The human brain is organized into networks that can adaptively shift and reorganize to meet ever-changing cognitive and emotional demands. This flexible reconfiguration of brain networks over time supports our ability to regulate our thoughts and behavior.
Disruptions in the brain's dynamic processes are thought to play an important role in psychiatric illness. However, it remains unclear how differences in brain network dynamics relate to the wide range of symptoms seen across mental health conditions.
The study, published in Nature Communications, was led by Carrisa Cocuzza, a postdoctoral fellow, and Avram Holmes, an associate professor of psychiatry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a core faculty member of the Center for Advanced Human Brain Imaging Research within the Rutgers Brain Health Institute.
Tracking the brain across states
The researchers used a large transdiagnostic data set of 219 people that included individuals with 11 psychiatric diagnoses, alongside extensive behavioral, cognitive and clinical assessments. Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans both at rest and while performing tasks, allowing the researchers to examine how brain connectivity patterns changed across six cognitive states.
