Physics – Biological Physics
Scientific paper
2011-02-03
Physics
Biological Physics
24 pages, 7 figures
Scientific paper
The human brain is organized in functional modules. Such an organization poses a conundrum: modules ought to be sufficiently independent to guarantee functional specialization and sufficiently connected to bind multiple processors for efficient information transfer. It is commonly accepted that small-world architecture may solve this problem. However, there is intrinsic tension between shortcuts generating small-worlds and the persistence of modules. Here we provide a solution to this puzzle. We show that the functional brain network formed by percolation of strong links is highly modular. Contrary to the common view, modules are self-similar and therefore are very far from being small-world. Incorporating the weak ties to the network converts it into a small-world preserving an underlying backbone of well-defined modules. Weak ties are organized precisely as predicted by theory maximizing information transfer with minimal wiring costs. This trade-off architecture is reminiscent of the "strength of weak ties" crucial concept of social networks and provides a natural solution to the puzzle of efficient information flow in the highly modular structure of the brain.
Gallos Lazaros K.
Makse Hernan A.
Sigman Mariano
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