Dynamical models reveal anatomically reliable attractor landscapes embedded in resting state brain networks.

Our brain remains active even when not engaged in cognitively demanding tasks. However, the processes that determine such 'resting state' activity are still not well-understood. Using a large (n > 1000) functional neuroimaging dataset and new techniques for computationally modeling brain activity, we found that the resting brain possesses several distinct mechanisms by which activity can be generated. These mechanisms, or dynamics, vary moment to moment, but result in the activation of similar anatomical regions across different individuals. Our results suggest that the resting brain is neither idle, nor monolithic in its governing mechanisms, but rather possesses a diverse but consistent taxonomy of ways in which it can activate and hence transition to cognitive tasks.