NSF Award
2502540
The human brain is made up of many regions that communicate with one another with an extensive array of axons (nerve fibers), forming multiple interlocking networks. “Hub” brain regions, much like airport hubs, have brain connections to many different regions and networks, forming a complex web of neural connections. Hubs participate widely across a diverse set of cognitive functions. Because of their widespread connections, hubs are well positioned to link functions across the brain as needed for executive and task control (the ability to flexibly guide thoughts and actions depending on our goals). Task control is vitally important for achieving both short-term goals (e.g., waking up early and carrying out a morning routine to get to work on time) and long-term goals (e.g., studying rules of the road and practicing supervised driving in order to learn how to drive and obtain a driver’s license) in everyday life. Task control requires that the brain flexibly coordinate relevant sensory, motor and cognitive functions to achieve those goals. This research explores how hub regions of the brain help to organize and coordinate these task control functions.<br/><br/>Network neuroscience methods, based on non-invasive human neuroimaging data (using fMRI – functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging), can be used to identify, and elucidate the connectivity of brain hub regions. Prior work has shown that damage to these hub regions leads to widespread brain disconnections, and has a powerful impact on behavior and on brain interactions. However, the functional role of brain hubs in task control is still poorly understood, in terms of their specificity across task contexts and their role in representing task information. This research explores how and when brain hubs are used in different behavioral contexts and across multiple tasks in healthy subjects, and investigates the impact of individual differences in hub organization. This project uses fMRI to measure the connectivity, and task-related activation of hubs, in three inter-related research objectives to: (1) determine how hubs modulate information flow across diverse task contexts and task difficulty levels, (2) determine whether and with what specificity hubs represent task parameters, and (3) determine whether individual differences in hub organization relate to individual differences in task control functions. This investigation deepens our understanding of the functional role of hubs - leading to potential future insights into how brain hubs may be targeted to improve goal achievement.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
