The Segregation and Integration of Distinct Brain Networks and Their Relationship to Cognition.

Abstract

The dynamic nature of the human brain gives rise to the wide range of behaviors and cognition of which humans are capable. We collected fMRI data from healthy young adults and measured large-scale functional connectivity patterns between regions distributed across the entire brain. We implemented graph theoretical analyses to quantify network organization during two tasks hypothesized to require different combinations of brain networks. During motor execution, segregation of distinct networks increased. Conversely, during working memory, integration across networks increased. These changes in network organization were related to better behavioral performance. These results underscore the human brain's ability to reconfigure network organization selectively and adaptively when confronted with changing cognitive demands to achieve an optimal balance between segregation and integration.