Characterizing state repertoire and dynamics of spontaneous brain activity by neuroimaging methods

Standard - GACR GA21-32608S [Registered results] 2021 - 2024

Principal Investigator: MUDr. Martin Brunovský, Ph.D.
ICS Coinvestigator: Ing. Mgr. Jaroslav Hlinka, Ph.D.

Current psychological theory provides complex description of mental functions and processes. It is generally accepted that mental functions have brain as their substrate, and that mental processes and states are reflected in brain activity dynamics. A rapidly developing area of brain research is the study of spontaneous brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging, allowing simultaneous measurement of activity dynamics of a plethora of brain networks. It has been suggested that during resting state condition, the brain explores its dynamic repertoire of possible states. However, the structure and dynamics of such exploration remains elusive. We propose to use a combination of data analysis techniques, simultaneous EEG/fMRI measurement of both spontaneous and richly stimulated mental activity and comparison with the ever-growing body of functional neuroanatomical knowledge to characterize the state repertoire and transition dynamics of spontaneous mental activity as observable by neuroimaging methods.