Function follows form : how connectivity patterns govern neural responses
Name
858804034-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
3.67 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
2325a86983b1c4d144486b07b0e95573
Author(s)
Osher, David Eugene
Advisor(s)
John D. E. Gabrieli.
Date Issued
2013
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Connectivity restricts and defines the information that a network can process. It is the substance of information processing that underlies the patterns of functional activity in the brain. By combining diffusion-weighted imaging or DWI, with fMRI, we are able to non-invasively measure connectivity and neural responses in the same individuals and directly relate these two measures to one another. In Chapter 2, I first establish the proof-of-principle that anatomical connectivity alone can predict neural responses in cortex, specifically of face-selectivity in the fusiform gyrus. I then extend this novel approach to the rest of the brain and test whether connectivity can accurately predict neural responses to various visual categories in Chapter 3. Finally, in Chapter 4, I compare and contrast the resulting models, which are essentially networks of connectivity that are functionally-relevant to each visual category, and demonstrate the type of knowledge that can be uncovered by directly integrating structure and function.
Description
Thesis (Ph. D. in Neuroscience)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, 2013.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references.
Subjects
Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
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