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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.03.06.641785

The impact of intrinsic connectome dynamics on perception is context-dependent

Mostame, P.·Hesselmann, G.·Bido-Medina, R.·Kleinschmidt, A.·Sadaghiani, S.
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Abstract

1.The behavioral relevance of the static functional connectome is well-established, but the real-time relationship between ongoing connectome dynamics and behavior remains unclear. Because behavior shifts from moment to moment, an important question arises: Are changes in behavioral outcomes linked to fluctuations in task-specific or task-general processes like arousal? Task-specific versus task-general processes should manifest as distinct versus shared connectome patterns that predict moment-to-moment behavioral outcomes across tasks. We analyzed fMRI data from three groups of healthy participants (total N=35), each performing one of three ambiguous perception tasks maximizing behavioral fluctuations: (1) Reporting faces or vase percepts on Rubins figure, (2) detecting near-random motion, or (3) identifying a near-threshold tone. Leveraging long inter-stimulus intervals (>20s), we examined how pre-stimulus connectome states influenced perception on a trial-by-trial basis. Using SVM models, pre-stimulus connectome reliably predicted upcoming post-stimulus perception. Distinct, non-overlapping sets of task-specific connections supported prediction in each task, spanning task-relevant sensory networks as well as higher-order cognitive control networks. Only when predictive connections were aggregated over the well-known intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs), did we observe partial overlap across tasks. Our findings underscore the functional impact of ongoing connectome dynamics in shaping moment-to-moment behavior, and show that this impact is predominantly context-dependent.

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Mostame, P., Hesselmann, G., Bido-Medina, R., Kleinschmidt, A., Sadaghiani, S.. 2025-03-10. The impact of intrinsic connectome dynamics on perception is context-dependent. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.03.06.641785

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