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Multimodal evidence suggests the linearity of brain dynamics at the macroscale

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We compared a range of linear and nonlinear models based on how accurately they could describe resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and intracranial electroencephalography dynamics in humans. Linear autoregressive models were the most accurate in all cases. Using numerical simulations, we demonstrated that spatiotemporal averaging has a critical and robust role in this linearity.

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Fig. 1: Spatiotemporal averaging has a strong linearizing effect on nonlinear dynamics.

References

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This is a summary of: Nozari, E. et al. Macroscopic resting-state brain dynamics are best described by linear models. Nat. Biomed. Eng. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-023-01117-y (2023).

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Multimodal evidence suggests the linearity of brain dynamics at the macroscale. Nat. Biomed. Eng 8, 7–8 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-023-01127-w

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