Newswise — Using a new model of brain activity, Indiana University computational neuroscientists Maria Pope, Richard Betzel and Olaf Sporns are exploring striking bursts of activity in the human brain that have not been examined before. These bursts may have potential to serve as biomarkers for brain disease and conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, dementia, and ADHD.
While analyzing human neuroimaging data, the IU research team discovered short bursts of activity that form ongoing “events” in the brain and are always taking place no matter the activity or state of the brain. In the course of a 10-minute brain scan, these events will occur roughly 10 to 20 times, each lasting for just a few seconds, the researchers found.
“What people had not seen is that how brain regions talk to each other is punctuated by these brief moments that are just a few seconds long during…
