Here is Why Some Brains Can Switch Gears Faster Than Others

A new study from Rutgers Health examined how the human brain combines fast and slow forms of information processing through its white matter communication networks.

The research, published in Nature Communications, focused on how the brain manages information streams that operate across different timescales. Researchers said this coordination plays an important role in cognition, behavior, and the ability to respond to changing environments.

The study found that the organization of neural timescales across the cortex influences how efficiently the brain transitions between large-scale activity patterns associated with behavior.

Researchers also found that these timing patterns vary between individuals. According to Professor Linden Parkes, people whose brain connectivity better matches the way regions process fast and slow information tend to show stronger cognitive abilities.

The research team analyzed multimodal brain imaging data from 960 participants. Using detailed maps of brain connections, known as connectomes, the scientists applied mathematical models to study how information moves through the brain’s communication pathways.

The team also identified links between neural timing patterns and the genetic, molecular, and cellular properties of brain regions. Similar patterns were also observed in mice, suggesting that the mechanisms may exist across multiple species.

Scientists refer to these processing patterns as intrinsic neural timescales, or INTs, which describe how different brain regions are tuned to handle information over specific periods of time.

Parkes said the study directly linked local information processing in brain regions with the way that information is shared across the brain to support behavior.

Parkes, who is also part of the Rutgers Brain Health Institute and the Center for Advanced Human Brain Imaging Research, said the brain uses white matter connectivity to integrate information processed over different timescales.

The researchers said they are now extending the work to study neuropsychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.

They hope the findings will help explain how disruptions in brain connectivity may affect the processing of information over time.