Dr Andreas Spiegler | Stimulation in large-scale brain network models

Brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) are potential adjunct therapy in many psychological and neurological disorders. When the brain is stimulated, also by self-paced or cue-based tasks, the brain initially responds with activities in specific areas. The subsequent pattern formation of functional networks is constrained by the structural connectivity. The extent to which stimulus-induced brain activity spreads and information is processed over short- or long-range connections is unclear. This talk discusses the effects of structural connectivities on the network response to stimulation in whole-brain models of humans and mice. The results suggest that the stimulus-induced brain activity, which may indicate information and cognitive processing, follows specific routes imposed by the network structure explaining the emergence of functional networks. The results also show how tDCS can alter the network and its functional connectivity.

Poster