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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.03.27.713751

Assessment of Coupled Phase Oscillators-Based Modeling in Swine Brain Connectome

Ahmed, I.·Laballe, M. H.·Taber, M. F.·Sneed, S. E.·Kaiser, E. E.·West, F. D.·Wu, T.·Zhao, Q.
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Abstract

Linking structural connectivity (SC) to functional connectivity (FC) through mechanistic models remains challenging in network neuroscience. In this study, empirical data of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) were used to reconstruct SC and FC of a swine connectome. We evaluated a structurally constrained Kuramoto phase-oscillator framework to reproduce resting-state FC and then assessed the models sensitivity to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its longitudinal progression post-TBI. A joint tuning procedure was implemented to calibrate data-informed natural frequencies and global coupling strength. The tuned Kuramoto model was then used to evolve oscillator phases constrained by the SC, followed by a Balloon-Windkessel hemodynamic model. The optimized model produced significant edge-wise correspondence between averaged simulated FC and the empirical FC (r = 0.61, p < 0.001). Graph-theoretical analysis across network densities (30-50%) showed strong agreement for global efficiency, characteristic path length, and clustering coefficient, while modularity and small-worldness exhibited deviations. Longitudinal analysis of the swine TBI dataset revealed modest reductions in structure-function coupling over time but no significant differences across injury severities. These results demonstrate that optimized Kuramoto models can reproduce key functional network features while preserving inter-subject variability.

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Ahmed, I., Laballe, M. H., Taber, M. F., Sneed, S. E., Kaiser, E. E., West, F. D., Wu, T., Zhao, Q.. 2026-04-01. Assessment of Coupled Phase Oscillators-Based Modeling in Swine Brain Connectome. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.27.713751

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