Arousal Drives Brain Scan Variation

LondonPhysiological arousal, not brain wiring, drives most functional MRI variation.

Systemic low-frequency oscillation amplitude correlates strongly (R=0.70) with network connectivity differences between people, replicated across sessions and samples.

Catecholamine-boosting drugs sharpened network differentiation, complicating functional MRI as a precision-psychiatry biomarker.

Sources: Nature