About this Research Topic
Recently, there has been increasing interest in inferring directed connectivity (effective connectivity) from fMRI data. Effective connectivity refers to the influence that one neural system exerts over another and quantifies the directed coupling among brain regions – and how they change with pathophysiology. Compared to functional connectivity, effective connectivity allows one to understand how brain regions interact with each other in terms of context sensitive changes and directed coupling – and therefore may provide mechanistic insights into the neural basis of psychopathology.
Established models of effective connectivity include psychophysiological interaction (PPI), structural equation modeling (SEM) and dynamic causal modelling (DCM). DCM is unique because it explicitly models the interaction among brain regions in terms of latent neuronal activity. Moreover, recent advances in DCM such as stochastic and spectral DCM, make it possible to characterize the interaction between different brain regions both at rest and during a cognitive task.
This Research Topic aims to investigate the neural circuitry of major psychiatric disorders (e.g., MDD, schizophrenia, Huntington's and Parkinson’s disease, etc.) using fMRI. In addition, this research topic focuses on the effects of treatment on directed coupling among brain regions – and whether alterations in effective connectivity persist in remitted subjects. Furthermore, we hope to address the relationship between persistent changes in effective connectivity and relapse.
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