Interaction Information Along Lifespan of the Resting Brain Dynamics Reveals a Major Redundant Role of the Default Mode Network

Interaction Information generalizes the univariate Shannon Entropy to triplets of variables, allowing the detection of redundant or synergetic interactions in dynamical networks. Here, we calculated interaction information from functional magnetic resonance imaging and asked whether redundancy or synergy vary across brain regions and along lifespan. We found high overlapping between the pattern of high redundancy and the default mode network, and this occurred along lifespan. The pattern of high values of synergy, more heterogeneous and variable along lifespan, was overlapping with different cognitive domains, such as spatial and temporal memory, emotion processing and motor skills. Moreover, the amount of redundancy and synergy seem to be balanced along lifespan, suggesting informational compensatory mechanisms in brain networks.