Measuring robust functional connectivity from resting-state MEG using amplitude and entropy correlation across frequency-bands and temporal scales

Recent studies have shown how MEG can reveal spatial patterns of functional connectivity using frequency-specific oscillatory coupling measures and that these may be modified in disease. However, there is a need to understand both how repeatable these patterns are across participants and how these measures relate to the moment-to-moment variability (or ‘irregularity’) of neural activity seen in healthy brain function. In this study, we used Multi-scale Rank-Vector Entropy (MRVE) to calculate the dynamic timecourses of signal variability over a range of temporal scales. The correlation of MRVE timecourses was then used to detect functional connections in resting state MEG recordings that were robust over 183 participants and varied with temporal scale. We then compared these MRVE connectivity patterns to those derived using more standard amplitude-amplitude coupling measures, using methods designed to quantify the consistency of these patterns across participants. Using oscillatory amplitude envelope correlation (AEC), the most consistent connectivity patterns, across the cohort, were seen in the alpha and beta frequency bands. At fine temporal scales (corresponding to ‘scale frequencies’, f S = 30-150Hz), MRVE correlation detected mostly occipital and parietal connections and these showed high similarity with the networks identified by AEC in the alpha and beta frequency bands. The most consistent connectivity profiles between participants were given by MRVE correlation at f S = 75Hz and AEC in the beta band. It was also found that average mid-to fine scale variability within each region ( f S ∼ 10-150Hz) negatively correlated with the region’s overall connectivity strength with other brain areas, as measured by fine scale MRVE correlation ( f S ∼ 30-150Hz) and by alpha and beta band AEC. These findings suggest that local activity at frequencies f S ≳ 10Hz becomes more regular when a region exhibits high levels of resting state connectivity.