Spontaneous Co-Activation Patterns of the Brain Revealed by Selectively Averaging Resting-State fMRI Volumes

Xiao Liu¹, Catie Chang¹, Jeff H. Duyn¹

In this study, we identified 30 spontaneous co-activation patterns (CAPs) by regrouping and then averaging resting-state fMRI volumes. The CAPs present interesting information regarding spontaneous brain activity at distinct time points: e.g., multiple default mode network (DMN) CAPs with distinct features, multiple task-positive CAPs anti-correlated with DMN region, very specific thalamocortical connections, and altered occurrence rates in different populations. The data-driven approach used here may serve as a novel method for analyzing and interpreting resting-state fMRI signals, complementary to conventional approaches.