Intracranial recordings reveal ubiquitous in-phase and in-antiphase functional connectivity between homotopic brain regions in humans.

O’Reilly, Christian, and Mayada Elsabbagh. 2021. “Intracranial Recordings Reveal Ubiquitous In-Phase and In-Antiphase Functional Connectivity Between Homotopic Brain Regions in Humans.”. Journal of Neuroscience Research 99 (3): 887-97.

Abstract

Whether neuronal populations exhibit zero-lag (in-phase or in-antiphase) functional connectivity is a fundamental question when conceptualizing communication between cell assemblies. It also has profound implications on how we assess such interactions. Given that the brain is a delayed network due to the finite conduction velocity of the electrical impulses traveling across its fibers, the existence of long-distance zero-lag functional connectivity may be considered improbable. However, in this study, using human intracranial recordings we demonstrate that most interhemispheric connectivity between homotopic cerebral regions is zero-lagged and that this type of connectivity is ubiquitous. Volume conduction can be safely discarded as a confounding factor since it is known to drop almost completely within short interelectrode distances (<20 mm) in intracranial recordings. This finding should guide future electrophysiological connectivity studies and highlight the importance of considering the role of zero-lag connectivity in our understanding of communication between cell assemblies.

Last updated on 08/22/2024
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