Unveiling Brain Connections: Graph Theory Applied to fNIRS Data

Published on September 15, 2022

Imagine your brain and a friend’s brain communicating with each other, like a perfectly synchronized dance routine. That’s what hyperscanning is all about! Scientists are using this exciting tool to understand how our brains work together during social interactions. And now, they’re taking it up a notch by using graph theory to analyze the data. In this study, researchers introduced the bootstrap modularity test, a way to determine if two brains are coactivated. They applied this test to fNIRS data collected from teachers and preschoolers while they interacted. By analyzing graph hub centrality measures, the researchers discovered that the synchronization between the teacher’s language and number processing and the child’s phonological processing played a crucial role in their brain-to-brain connection. Isn’t that fascinating?! These findings could shed light on the neurobiological basis of interaction, especially in educational settings. To dive deeper into this captivating research, check out the full article!

Hyperscanning is a promising tool for investigating the neurobiological underpinning of social interactions and affective bonds. Recently, graph theory measures, such as modularity, have been proposed for estimating the global synchronization between brains. This paper proposes the bootstrap modularity test as a way of determining whether a pair of brains is coactivated. This test is illustrated as a screening tool in an application to fNIRS data collected from the prefrontal cortex and temporoparietal junction of five dyads composed of a teacher and a preschooler while performing an interaction task. In this application, graph hub centrality measures identify that the dyad’s synchronization is critically explained by the relation between teacher’s language and number processing and the child’s phonological processing. The analysis of these metrics may provide further insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of interaction, such as in educational contexts.

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