Publication details
Spatiotemporal brain complexity quantifies consciousness outside of perturbation paradigms
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Peer-reviewed scientific article |
| Magazine / Source | elife |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://elifesciences.org/articles/98920 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.98920 |
| Keywords | dynamics; complexity; consciousness |
| Description | Signatures of consciousness are found in spectral and temporal properties of neuronal activity. Among these, spatiotemporal complexity after a perturbation has recently emerged as a robust metric to infer levels of consciousness. Perturbation paradigms remain, however, difficult to perform routinely. To discover alternative paradigms and metrics, we systematically explore brain stimulation and resting-state activity in a whole-brain model. We find that perturbational complexity only occurs when the brain model operates within a specific dynamical regime, in which spontaneous activity produces a large degree of functional network reorganizations referred to as being fluid. The regime of high brain fluidity is characterized by a small battery of metrics drawn from dynamical systems theory and predicts the impact of consciousness-altering drugs (Xenon, Propofol, and Ketamine). We validate the predictions in a cohort of 15 subjects at various stages of consciousness and demonstrate their agreement with previously reported perturbational complexity, but in a more accessible paradigm. Beyond the facilitation in clinical use, the metrics highlight complexity properties of brain dynamics in support of the emergence of consciousness. |
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