Task‐induced changes in brain entropy

Entropy indicates irregularity of a dynamic system, with higher entropy indicating higher irregularity and more transit states. In the human brain, regional brain entropy (BEN) has been increasingly assessed using resting state fMRI (rs‐fMRI), while changes of regional BEN during task‐based fMRI have been scarcely studied. The purpose of this study is to characterize task‐induced regional BEN alterations using the large Human Connectome Project (HCP) data. To control the potential modulation by the block design, BEN of task‐fMRI was calculated from the fMRI images acquired during the task conditions only (task BEN) and then compared to BEN of rs‐fMRI (resting BEN). Moreover, BEN was separately calculated from the control blocks of the task‐fMRI runs (control BEN) and compared to task BEN. Finally, control BEN was compared to resting BEN to test for residual task effects in the control condition. With respect to resting state, task performance unanimously induced BEN reduction in the peripheral cortical area and BEN increase in the centric part of the sensorimotor and perception networks. Control compared to resting BEN showed similar entropy alterations, suggesting large residual task effects. Task compared to control BEN was characterized by reduced entropy in occipital, orbitofrontal, and parietal regions. Brain entropy (BEN) represents a unique method to characterize brain activity at rest and during task performance. In this study, we compare BEN estimated during resting state, task performance, and fixation blocks of task‐fMRI. Our results provide new insight into BEN modifications during task performance involving higher‐level cognitive functions.