PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Researchers gain new insights into brain neuronal networks

2013-11-05
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Zoltan Toroczkai
toro@nd.edu
574-631-2618
University of Notre Dame
Researchers gain new insights into brain neuronal networks A paper published in a special edition of the journal Science proposes a novel understanding of brain architecture using a network representation of connections within the primate cortex. Zoltán Toroczkai, professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame and co-director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Network Science and Applications, is a co-author of the paper "Cortical High-Density Counterstream Architectures."

Using brain-wide and consistent tracer data, the researchers describe the cortex as a network of connections with a "bow tie" structure characterized by a high-efficiency, dense core connecting with "wings" of feed-forward and feedback pathways to the rest of the cortex (periphery). The local circuits, reaching to within 2.5 millimeters and taking up more than 70 percent of all the connections in the macaque cortex, are integrated across areas with different functional modalities (somatosensory, motor, cognitive) with medium- to long-range projections.

The authors also report on a simple network model that incorporates the physical principle of entropic cost to long wiring and the spatial positioning of the functional areas in the cortex. They show that this model reproduces the properties of the connectivity data in the experiments, including the structure of the bow tie. The wings of the bow tie emerge from the counterstream organization of the feed-forward and feedback nature of the pathways. They also demonstrate that, contrary to previous beliefs, such high-density cortical graphs can achieve simultaneously strong connectivity (almost direct between any two areas), communication efficiency, and economy of connections (shown via optimizing total wire cost) via weight-distance correlations that are also consequences of this simple network model.

This bow tie arrangement is a typical feature of self-organizing information processing systems. The paper notes that the cortex has some analogies with information-processing networks such as the World Wide Web, as well as metabolism, the immune system and cell signaling. The core-periphery bow tie structure, they say, is "an evolutionarily favored structure for a wide variety of complex networks" because "these systems are not in thermodynamic equilibrium and are required to maintain energy and matter flow through the system." The brain, however, also shows important differences from such systems. For example, destination addresses are encoded in information packets sent along the Internet, apparently unlike in the brain, and location and timing of activity are critical factors of information processing in the brain, unlike in the Internet.

"Biological data is extremely complex and diverse," Toroczkai said. "However, as a physicist, I am interested in what is common or invariant in the data, because it may reveal a fundamental organizational principle behind a complex system. A minimal theory that incorporates such principle should reproduce the observations, if not in great detail, but in extent. I believe that with additional consistent data, as those obtained by the Kennedy team, the fundamental principles of massive information processing in brain neuronal networks are within reach."

INFORMATION:

The data was generated by collaborator Henry Kennedy, director of the Stem-cell and Brain Research Institute in Lyon, France, and his research group. Other co-authors of the paper include Kennedy as well as Nikola T. Markov and Kenneth Knoblauch, also of the institute; Mária Ercsey-Ravasz of Babeş-Bolyai University in Romania; and David C. Van Essen of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Diamond imperfections pave the way to technology gold

2013-11-05
Diamond imperfections pave the way to technology gold Berkeley study provides unprecedented details on ultrafast processes in diamond nitrogen vacancy centers From supersensitive detections of magnetic fields to quantum information processing, the key ...

Dolphin genetic study provides revelations

2013-11-05
Dolphin genetic study provides revelations FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. - The old saying goes: "Don't judge a book by its cover." Well, the same could be said about bottlenose dolphins. Bottlenose dolphins are the most common and well-known of their kind – famous ...

Wives matter more when it comes to calming down marital conflicts

2013-11-05
Wives matter more when it comes to calming down marital conflicts UC Berkeley study finds husbands less influential in conflict resolution Marriage can be a battlefield. But a new study conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that, ...

A better way to track your every move

2013-11-05
A better way to track your every move Algorithm accurately tracks physical activity no matter where you carry your phone CHICAGO --- Physical activity tracking apps on smartphones are a potentially important tool for doctors who want to collect data and create treatment ...

Carnegie Mellon study suggests repetition of rare events could reduce screening mistakes by security

2013-11-05
Carnegie Mellon study suggests repetition of rare events could reduce screening mistakes by security 'Inattentional blindness,' not incompetence, could explain many failures to detect threats PITTSBURGH—The failure to detect infrequent, but obvious security threats ...

UCSB professor develops cutting-edge detector technology for astronomical observations

2013-11-05
UCSB professor develops cutting-edge detector technology for astronomical observations (Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– Semiconductors have had a nice run, but for certain applications, such as astrophysics, they are being edged out by superconductors. ...

MU researcher finds way to reduce unnecessary lab tests, decrease patient costs by modifying software

2013-11-05
MU researcher finds way to reduce unnecessary lab tests, decrease patient costs by modifying software COLUMBIA, Mo. – When patients undergo diagnostic lab tests as part of the inpatient admission process, they may wonder why or how physicians choose particular ...

Hot-air balloon rides -- researchers advise, proceed with caution

2013-11-05
Hot-air balloon rides -- researchers advise, proceed with caution Recent data show that helicopter and fixed-wing commercial air tour operations in the U.S. have high crash rates compared with similar commercial aviation operations, ...

Climate change, people and ecosystems:Assessing strategies for adaptation

2013-11-05
Climate change, people and ecosystems:Assessing strategies for adaptation A special issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment President Obama marked the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy with an executive order last Friday "preparing the United States ...

NASA sees Tropical Depression 30W affecting central Philippines

2013-11-05
NASA sees Tropical Depression 30W affecting central Philippines Tropical Depression 30W formed and moved through Visayas, Philippines. NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of the depression that showed it had some potential for heavy rain while moving ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Salk scientist Joseph Ecker awarded McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies

ADHD: Women are diagnosed five years later than men, despite symptoms appearing at the same age.

Power plants may emit more pollution during government shutdowns

Increasing pressures for conformity de-skilling and demotivating teachers, study warns

Researchers develop smarter menstrual product with potential for wearable health monitoring

Microwaves for energy-efficient chemical reactions

MXene current collectors could reduce size, improve recyclability of Li-ion batteries

Living near toxic sites linked to aggressive breast cancer

New discovery could open door to male birth control

Wirth elected Fellow of American Physical Society

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: October 10, 2025

Destined to melt

Attitudes, not income, drive energy savings at home

The playbook for perfect polaritons

‘Disease in a dish’ study of progressive MS finds critical role for unusual type of brain cell

Solar-powered method lights the way to a ‘de-fossilized’ chemical industry

Screen time linked to lower academic achievement among Ontario elementary students

One-year outcomes after traumatic brain injury and early extracranial surgery in the TRACK-TBI Study

Enduring outcomes of COVID-19 work absences on the US labor market

Affirmative action repeal and racial and ethnic diversity in us medical school admissions

Cancer progression illuminated by new multi-omics tool

Screen time and standardized academic achievement tests in elementary school

GLP-1RA order fills and out-of-pocket costs by race, ethnicity, and indication

Study finds HEPA purifiers alone may not be enough to reduce viral exposure in schools

UVA Health developing way to ID people at risk of dangerous lung scarring even before symptoms appear

How can we know when curing cancer causes myocarditis?

Male infertility in Indian men linked to lifestyle choices and hormonal imbalances

An acoustofluidic device for sample preparation and detection of small extracellular vesicles

The advent of nanotechnology has ushered in a transformative era for oncology, offering unprecedented capabilities for targeted drug delivery and controlled release. This paradigm shift enhances thera

A prototype LED as thin as wallpaper — that glows like the sun

[Press-News.org] Researchers gain new insights into brain neuronal networks