A dual-networks architecture of top-down control.
Complex systems ensure resilience through multiple controllers acting at rapid and slower timescales. The need for efficient information flow through complex systems encourages small-world network structures. On the basis of these principles, a group of regions associated with top-down control was examined. Functional magnetic resonance imaging showed that each region had a specific combination of control signals; resting-state functional connectivity grouped the regions into distinct 'fronto-parietal' and 'cingulo-opercular' components. The fronto-parietal component seems to initiate and adjust control; the cingulo-opercular component provides stable 'set-maintenance' over entire task epochs. Graph analysis showed dense local connections within components and weaker 'long-range' connections between components, suggesting a small-world architecture. The control systems of the brain seem to embody the principles of complex systems, encouraging resilient performance.
Dosenbach
Nico U F
NU
Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, 4525 Scott Ave, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. ndosenbach@wustl.edu
Fair
Damien A
DA
Cohen
Alexander L
AL
Schlaggar
Bradley L
BL
Petersen
Steven E
SE
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*