Comparative analysis of cognitive biomarkers on functional MRI data

Abstract

There is a growing interest in analysis of human brain functional connectivity using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We examined the cognitive biomarkers, which are functional connectivities between regions commonly implicated in neuroimaging studies of various cognitive mental behaviors, including creativity, affection, empathy, etc. In generation of classification models for students vs. non-students, who would vary in the amount of usage of logical thinking in daily basis, insomnia, attention, and creativity were the three mental behaviors whose cognitive biomarkers had the most significant correlation with the classification for the early-20’s-group, late-20’s-group, and early-30’s-group, respectively. ROI-to-ROI functional connectivity analysis revealed greater connectivity between the left amygdala and the right supplementary motor area in the early-20’s-students’ group. The left inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) showed greater functional connectivity with dorsal attention network (DAN) in late-20’s-students’group. Lastly, the right inferior frontal gyrus showed greater functional connectivity with the left angular gyrus in the early-30’s-non-students’group.