Berlin 2005 – scientific programme
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SYBN: Biological and Social Networks
SYBN 3: Biologische und Soziale Netzwerke, Postersitzung
SYBN 3.28: Poster
Monday, March 7, 2005, 14:00–15:30, Poster TU E
Organization of Cortical Brain Networks — •Claus C. Hilgetag1,2 and Marcus Kaiser1 — 1Intl. Univ. Bremen, Campus Ring 6, 28759 Bremen — 2Boston University, Boston, USA
Networks of long-range projections in the cerebral cortex of mammalian brains possess an intricate, non-random organization. Specifically, connections are arranged in small-world networks, forming clusters of cortical areas, which are closely linked among each other, but less frequently with areas in other clusters. In order to delineate the structure of cortical clusters and to identify their members, we employed an evolutionary optimization approach. In different compilations of connectivity data for the cat and macaque monkey brain, the algorithm identified a small number of clusters, which broadly agreed with functional cortical subdivisions. The clustered, small-world organization of cortical networks, therefore, has implications for the efficient and flexible cooperation of different brain regions. This structural organization may also represent an optimal balance between different constraints on efficient design, flexible functioning as well as high robustness of the nervous system.