The coupling of BOLD signal variability and degree centrality underlies cognitive functions and psychiatric diseases

Brain signal variability has been consistently linked to functional integration; however, whether this coupling is associated with cognitive functions and/or psychiatric diseases has not been clarified. Using multiple multimodality datasets, including resting-state functional magnetic resonance imag...

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Main Authors: Jintao Sheng, Liang Zhang, Junjiao Feng, Jing Liu, Anqi Li, Wei Chen, Yuedi Shen, Jinhui Wang, Yong He, Gui Xue
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021-08-01
Series:NeuroImage
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S105381192100464X
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author Jintao Sheng
Liang Zhang
Junjiao Feng
Jing Liu
Anqi Li
Wei Chen
Yuedi Shen
Jinhui Wang
Yong He
Gui Xue
author_facet Jintao Sheng
Liang Zhang
Junjiao Feng
Jing Liu
Anqi Li
Wei Chen
Yuedi Shen
Jinhui Wang
Yong He
Gui Xue
author_sort Jintao Sheng
collection DOAJ
description Brain signal variability has been consistently linked to functional integration; however, whether this coupling is associated with cognitive functions and/or psychiatric diseases has not been clarified. Using multiple multimodality datasets, including resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) data from the Human Connectome Project (HCP: N = 927) and a Beijing sample (N = 416) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) and rsfMRI data from a Hangzhou sample (N = 29), we found that, compared with the existing variability measure (i.e., SDBOLD), the mean-scaled (standardized) fractional standard deviation of the BOLD signal (mfSDBOLD) maintained very high test-retest reliability, showed greater cross-site reliability and was less affected by head motion. We also found strong reproducible couplings between the mfSDBOLD and functional integration measured by the degree centrality (DC), both cross-voxel and cross-subject, which were robust to scanning and preprocessing parameters. Moreover, both mfSDBOLD and DC were correlated with CBF, suggesting a common physiological basis for both measures. Critically, the degree of coupling between mfSDBOLD and long-range DC was positively correlated with individuals’ cognitive total composite scores. Brain regions with greater mismatches between mfSDBOLD and long-range DC were more vulnerable to brain diseases. Our results suggest that BOLD signal variability could serve as a meaningful index of local function that underlies functional integration in the human brain and that a strong coupling between BOLD signal variability and functional integration may serve as a hallmark of balanced brain networks that are associated with optimal brain functions.
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spelling doaj.art-f1fbda5bbd854f71812643dfcde58f772022-12-21T22:21:09ZengElsevierNeuroImage1095-95722021-08-01237118187The coupling of BOLD signal variability and degree centrality underlies cognitive functions and psychiatric diseasesJintao Sheng0Liang Zhang1Junjiao Feng2Jing Liu3Anqi Li4Wei Chen5Yuedi Shen6Jinhui Wang7Yong He8Gui Xue9State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute of Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute of Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute of Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute of Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute of Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310000, PR ChinaThe Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310000, PR ChinaGuangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou 510631, PR China; Key Laboratory of Brain, Ministry of Education, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), PR ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute of Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute of Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China; Corresponding author.Brain signal variability has been consistently linked to functional integration; however, whether this coupling is associated with cognitive functions and/or psychiatric diseases has not been clarified. Using multiple multimodality datasets, including resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) data from the Human Connectome Project (HCP: N = 927) and a Beijing sample (N = 416) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) and rsfMRI data from a Hangzhou sample (N = 29), we found that, compared with the existing variability measure (i.e., SDBOLD), the mean-scaled (standardized) fractional standard deviation of the BOLD signal (mfSDBOLD) maintained very high test-retest reliability, showed greater cross-site reliability and was less affected by head motion. We also found strong reproducible couplings between the mfSDBOLD and functional integration measured by the degree centrality (DC), both cross-voxel and cross-subject, which were robust to scanning and preprocessing parameters. Moreover, both mfSDBOLD and DC were correlated with CBF, suggesting a common physiological basis for both measures. Critically, the degree of coupling between mfSDBOLD and long-range DC was positively correlated with individuals’ cognitive total composite scores. Brain regions with greater mismatches between mfSDBOLD and long-range DC were more vulnerable to brain diseases. Our results suggest that BOLD signal variability could serve as a meaningful index of local function that underlies functional integration in the human brain and that a strong coupling between BOLD signal variability and functional integration may serve as a hallmark of balanced brain networks that are associated with optimal brain functions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S105381192100464XResting-state fMRIMean-scaled fractional BOLD signal variabilityDegree centralityCognitive functionDisease vulnerability
spellingShingle Jintao Sheng
Liang Zhang
Junjiao Feng
Jing Liu
Anqi Li
Wei Chen
Yuedi Shen
Jinhui Wang
Yong He
Gui Xue
The coupling of BOLD signal variability and degree centrality underlies cognitive functions and psychiatric diseases
NeuroImage
Resting-state fMRI
Mean-scaled fractional BOLD signal variability
Degree centrality
Cognitive function
Disease vulnerability
title The coupling of BOLD signal variability and degree centrality underlies cognitive functions and psychiatric diseases
title_full The coupling of BOLD signal variability and degree centrality underlies cognitive functions and psychiatric diseases
title_fullStr The coupling of BOLD signal variability and degree centrality underlies cognitive functions and psychiatric diseases
title_full_unstemmed The coupling of BOLD signal variability and degree centrality underlies cognitive functions and psychiatric diseases
title_short The coupling of BOLD signal variability and degree centrality underlies cognitive functions and psychiatric diseases
title_sort coupling of bold signal variability and degree centrality underlies cognitive functions and psychiatric diseases
topic Resting-state fMRI
Mean-scaled fractional BOLD signal variability
Degree centrality
Cognitive function
Disease vulnerability
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S105381192100464X
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