Development of a dual-networks architecture of top-down control; insights from functional connectivity MRI

Abstract Complex biological and social systems are often driven by several separate control mechanisms with distinct functional properties to ensure resilience while maintaining adaptability. We have proposed that the human brain implements top-down control in ways consistent with other complex systems. We have reported evidence suggesting that young adults depend on distinct fronto-parietal and cingulo-opercular networks for adaptive online task control versus more stable set control, respectively. These networks, investigated with resting state functional connectivity and analyzed with graph theoretical approaches, appear to develop via mechanisms of segregation and integration. These results lend credence to the idea that the function of a systems is not fully described by the activity of its individual components, but also depends on the nature of the dynamic links between them. These findings also motivate novel approaches to studying disorders of cognitive development. This event is being co-sponsored by Neuroscience Department at Penn State Child Study Center (CSC) Penn State Hershey College of Medicine

Contact

  Rick Gilmore
  rog1@psu.edu
  865-3364