Contemporary concept about organization of central nervous system: human connectome and neural networks

Abstract

The aim. To systematize contemporary concept about the structural and functional organization of the central nervous system (CNS) and the importance of developing the concept of the human connectome.Main concepts. Signifcant progress in understanding the organization of the CNS in normal and in various pathological conditions was achieved after the introduction of structural and functional neuroimaging methods frst into scientifc and then into clinical practice. Recently, when studying the neuropsychiatric sphere, special attention has been paid to neural networks. One of the achievements in this feld is the construction of the human connectome – a system of structural and functional connections between various cerebral areas, the state of which is assessed using multimodal methods of functional neuroimaging. Thus, the development of brain sciences has reached a completely different level – the level of systemic psychoneurology, when the existing processes are analyzed comprehensively, with the involvement of specialists in various felds – neurology, psychiatry, neuroimaging, mathematics, etc. The human connectome is basically a biological system, therefore, although the analogy with artifcial intelligence can be traced, it does not take the frst place. The functioning of the human connectome is based on the principle of parallel, rather than sequential, information processing. Taking into account the inherent ability of the brain (at least, some of its areas) to generate spontaneous non-rhythmic oscillations, this leads to the implementation of the basic principle of the functioning of the CNS – minimizing energy consumption. In addition, the presence of spontaneous non-rhythmic oscillations (the principle of uncertainty) probably underlies the inherent human ability to intuitively think, develop new ideas. The state of the connectome in a rest is determined by past experience, the duration of external influences, and age. It affects the nature and severity of neuroplastic processes, as well as, in particular, the effectiveness of certain pharmacological drugs in a given individual. At the same time, the fnal result of neuroplastic changes may be of a different nature. It can be favorable for the body (the so-called adaptive plasticity), do not affect the body in any way, or even have a negative result (the so-called maladaptive neuroplasticity). In children, such maladaptive manifestations are less pronounced. Currently, hardware methods of influencing the connectome are being actively studied. For example, it was shown that the structure of the connectome in a rest state can change after transcranial magnetic stimulation. Further studies of this problem will open up new opportunities for studying the activity of such a complexly organized system as the brain – in normal and in various pathological conditions – and to develop more effective methods of neurorehabilitation.