Visualising network dynamics interactively on brain network

[Remi-Gau]

Submitted by Ying-Qiu Zheng*

Motivation:

Network models have become one of the most popular areas in neuroscience in recent decades. Revealed as powerful tools to assess regional vulnerability, network longevity and resilience, communication efficiency and biological cost, etc., they have found wide applications in studies including the pathology underlying neurological disorders, brain wiring principle, and functional configurations. However, although comprehensive visualisation (e.g. Gephi) and analysis tools (e.g. BCT, igraph) do exist, interactive platforms for network dynamics visualisation specially suited to brain network are yet to be more extensively explored. Inspired by Echarts’ visualisation of airline/train routing (demo), we propose an analogous interactive framework that allows for real-time visualisation of dynamics on brain network/sphere interactively in which the brain coordinates serve as geographic information. Users can customise their triggering events, if there is any, updating rules and colouring scheme specifically. Such tools would help reveal more straightforwardly the trajectories of network dynamics as well as the roles of individual nodes and edges.

Goals:

1. Wrap up classic network models, including linear threshold models and outing/navigation/spread models, as default
2. Read user input of triggering events, updating rules of nodes and edges and project the corresponding events onto a 3D brain
3. Preset several colouring themes