Special Patterns of Dynamic Brain Networks Discriminate Between Face and Non-face Processing: A Single-Trial EEG Study
Open Access
- 9 June 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Frontiers Media SA in Frontiers in Neuroscience
Abstract
Face processing is a spatiotemporal dynamic process involving widely distributed and closely connected brain regions. Although previous studies have examined the topological differences in brain networks between face and non-face processing, the time-varying patterns at different processing stages have not been fully characterized. In this study, dynamic brain networks were used to explore the mechanism of face processing in human brain. We constructed a set of brain networks based on consecutive short EEG segments recorded during face and non-face (ketch) processing respectively, and analyzed the topological characteristic of these brain networks by graph theory. We found that the topological differences of the backbone of original brain networks (the minimum spanning tree, MST) between face and ketch processing changed dynamically. Specifically, during face processing, the MST was more line-like over alpha band in 0–100 ms time window after stimuli onset, and more star-like over theta and alpha bands in 100–200 and 200–300 ms time windows. The results indicated that the brain network was more efficient for information transfer and exchange during face processing compared with non-face processing. In the MST, the nodes with significant differences of betweenness centrality and degree were mainly located in the left frontal area and ventral visual pathway, which were involved in the face-related regions. In addition, the special MST patterns can discriminate between face and ketch processing by an accuracy of 93.39%. Our results suggested that special MST structures of dynamic brain networks reflected the potential mechanism of face processing in human brain.This publication has 80 references indexed in Scilit:
- BrainNet Viewer: A Network Visualization Tool for Human Brain ConnectomicsPLOS ONE, 2013
- Global Workspace Dynamics: Cortical “Binding and Propagation” Enables Conscious ContentsFrontiers in Psychology, 2013
- A Collaborative Brain-Computer Interface for Improving Human PerformancePLOS ONE, 2011
- Effects of Sleeve Gastrectomy in Neonatally Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic RatsPLOS ONE, 2011
- Functional Roles of Alpha-Band Phase Synchronization in Local and Large-Scale Cortical NetworksFrontiers in Psychology, 2011
- Comparing Brain Networks of Different Size and Connectivity Density Using Graph TheoryPLOS ONE, 2010
- Modular and Hierarchically Modular Organization of Brain NetworksFrontiers in Neuroscience, 2010
- Identification and Classification of Hubs in Brain NetworksPLOS ONE, 2007
- Small worlds inside big brainsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2006
- The control of the false discovery rate in multiple testing under dependencyThe Annals of Statistics, 2001