Olaf Sporns
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Indiana University
Modeling the Network Architecture of the Human Brain
The confluence of empirical neuroscience and computational network models are beginning to reveal the complex architecture of the human brain. Modern modeling and analysis techniques show the nervous systems as a set of complex networks of structurally interconnected neural elements that engage in spontaneous or evoked neural dynamics. Computational models have been instrumental in linking brain structural and functional connectivity, and in revealing the brain's small-world topology, efficient information flow and neural wiring, as well as prevalent modularity and hubs. A central theme in this emerging field is the relationship between structure and function - a core issue for network theories of cognition.
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References
Bullmore E, Sporns O (2009) Complex brain networks: graph theoretical analysis of structural and functional systems. Nat Rev Neurosci 10:186-98
Hagmann P, Cammoun L, Gigandet X, Meuli R, Honey CJ, Wedeen VJ, Sporns O (2008) Mapping the structural core of human cerebral cortex. PLoS Biol 6:e159