Slow wave generation and propagation in a model of brain lesions
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Slow waves (SWs), the hallmark of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, reflect the periodic occurrence of transient silent periods in cortical neurons (Down states). During NREM, SWs and Down states physiologically disrupt large-scale network interactions. Since early EEG studies, SWs have also been observed in awake patients after brain injury. Emerging evidence indicates that these intrusions of sleep-like activity interfere with ongoing network activity and contribute to motor and cognitive deficits; yet, the mechanisms governing the generation and spread of post-lesional SWs remain unclear. Here, we extend a neural mass model of EEG to capture transitions between wake-like and sleep-like dynamics and embed it in connectome-based networks with virtual lesions. This model supports that local disfacilitation, topology-dependent propagation, and synchrony-dependent amplification throughout the connectome are sufficient to produce post-lesional SWs. These mechanisms reproduce the spatial gradients of post-lesional SWs seen in patients and identify actionable targets for neuromodulation and rehabilitation.
Source: NeuroImage
Institutions: University of Milan, Consorci Institut D'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, University of Padua, Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,540
Funders: Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Università degli Studi di Milano, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, European Commission, Generalitat de Catalunya, Ministero della Salute, Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Fundação Bial, Regione Lombardia, Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca, Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, European Research Council, Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Departament de Recerca i Universitats, Generalitat de Catalunya
Awards: G1465414878, G179162406, G1860903731, G190268827, G2136651608, G2262748287, G2390086698, G2709766998, G3005324705, G3105255457, ERA-Net Cofund in Personalised Medicine, G3480869486, G3742369756, G3899020896, G3936970252, G4042783231, G4082645310, G4110176275, G4118857747, G425668148, G4507496529, G4531541471, G464105488, G4643250943, G473682650, G490430286, G4921481610, G5055238918, G5173883722, G520487022, G5242404030, G534784824, G5564118388, G586857820, G5911110335, G598502428, G5989268104, G6682313455, G7228136184, G7483687291, G7490794067, G7926238029, G81017572, G8305264046, G845431317, Human Brain Project Specific Grant Agreement 3, G887081913, G972786147
OpenAlex ID: W7130828128