Fractal geometry predicts dynamic differences in structural and functional connectomes

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Radulescu, Anca, Kaslik, Eva, Fikl, Alexandru, Nakuci, Johan, Muldoon, Sarah, Anderson, Michael
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Radulescu, Anca
Kaslik, Eva
Fikl, Alexandru
Nakuci, Johan
Muldoon, Sarah
Anderson, Michael
author_facet Radulescu, Anca
Kaslik, Eva
Fikl, Alexandru
Nakuci, Johan
Muldoon, Sarah
Anderson, Michael
contents Understanding the intricate architecture of brain networks and its connection to brain function is essential for deciphering the underlying principles of cognition and disease. While traditional graph-theoretical measures have been widely used to characterize these networks, they often fail to fully capture the emergent properties of large-scale neural dynamics. Here, we introduce an alternative approach to quantify brain networks that is rooted in complex dynamics, fractal geometry, and asymptotic analysis. We apply these concepts to brain connectomes and demonstrate how quadratic iterations and geometric properties of Mandelbrot-like sets can provide novel insights into structural and functional network dynamics. Our findings reveal fundamental distinctions between structural (positive) and functional (signed) connectomes, such as the shift of cusp orientation and the variability in equi-M set geometry. Notably, structural connectomes exhibit more robust, predictable features, while functional connectomes show increased variability for non-trivial tasks. We further demonstrate that traditional graph-theoretical measures, when applied separately to the positive and negative sub-networks of functional connectomes, fail to fully capture their dynamic complexity. Instead, size and shape-based invariants of the equi-M set effectively differentiate between rest and emotional task states, which highlights their potential as superior markers of emergent network dynamics. These results suggest that incorporating fractal-based methods into network neuroscience provides a powerful tool for understanding how information flows in natural systems beyond static connectivity measures, while maintaining their simplicity.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_11477
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Fractal geometry predicts dynamic differences in structural and functional connectomes
Radulescu, Anca
Kaslik, Eva
Fikl, Alexandru
Nakuci, Johan
Muldoon, Sarah
Anderson, Michael
Chaotic Dynamics
Neurons and Cognition
Understanding the intricate architecture of brain networks and its connection to brain function is essential for deciphering the underlying principles of cognition and disease. While traditional graph-theoretical measures have been widely used to characterize these networks, they often fail to fully capture the emergent properties of large-scale neural dynamics. Here, we introduce an alternative approach to quantify brain networks that is rooted in complex dynamics, fractal geometry, and asymptotic analysis. We apply these concepts to brain connectomes and demonstrate how quadratic iterations and geometric properties of Mandelbrot-like sets can provide novel insights into structural and functional network dynamics. Our findings reveal fundamental distinctions between structural (positive) and functional (signed) connectomes, such as the shift of cusp orientation and the variability in equi-M set geometry. Notably, structural connectomes exhibit more robust, predictable features, while functional connectomes show increased variability for non-trivial tasks. We further demonstrate that traditional graph-theoretical measures, when applied separately to the positive and negative sub-networks of functional connectomes, fail to fully capture their dynamic complexity. Instead, size and shape-based invariants of the equi-M set effectively differentiate between rest and emotional task states, which highlights their potential as superior markers of emergent network dynamics. These results suggest that incorporating fractal-based methods into network neuroscience provides a powerful tool for understanding how information flows in natural systems beyond static connectivity measures, while maintaining their simplicity.
title Fractal geometry predicts dynamic differences in structural and functional connectomes
topic Chaotic Dynamics
Neurons and Cognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.11477