Contextual Minimum-Norm Estimates (CMNE): A Deep Learning Method for Source Estimation in Neuronal Networks

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and Electroencephalography (EEG) source estimates have thus far mostly been derived sample by sample, i.e., independent of each other in time. However, neuronal assemblies are heavily interconnected, constraining the temporal evolution of neural activity in space as detected by MEG and EEG. The observed neural currents are thus highly context dependent. Here, a new method is presented which integrates predictive deep learning networks with the Minimum-Norm Estimates (MNE) approach. Specifically, we employ Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks, a type of recurrent neural network, for predicting brain activity. Because we use past activity (context) in the estimation, we call our method Contextual MNE (CMNE). We demonstrate that these contextual algorithms can be used for predicting activity based on previous brain states and when used in conjunction with MNE, they lead to more accurate source estimation. To evaluate the performance of CMNE, it was tested on simulated and experimental data from human auditory evoked response experiments.

Maturation Trajectories of Cortical Resting-State Networks Depend on the Mediating Frequency Band

The functional significance of resting state networks and their abnormal manifestations in psychiatric disorders are firmly established, as is the importance of the cortical rhythms in mediating these networks. Resting state networks are known to undergo substantial reorganization from childhood to adulthood, but whether distinct cortical rhythms, which are generated by separable neural mechanisms and are often manifested abnormally in psychiatric conditions, mediate maturation differentially, remains unknown. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG) to map frequency band specific maturation of resting state networks from age 7 to 29 in 162 participants (31 independent), we found significant changes with age in networks mediated by the beta (13-30Hz) and gamma (31-80Hz) bands. More specifically, gamma band mediated networks followed an expected asymptotic trajectory, but beta band mediated networks followed a linear trajectory. Network integration increased with age in gamma band mediated networks, while local segregation increased with age in beta band mediated networks. Spatially, the hubs that changed in importance with age in the beta band mediated networks had relatively little overlap with those that showed the greatest changes in the gamma band mediated networks. These findings are relevant for our understanding of the neural mechanisms of cortical maturation, in both typical and atypical development.