Emergence of Small-World and Limitations to Its Maximization in a Macaque Cerebral Cortical Network

We study both the emergence of small-world topology in a macaque cerebral cortical network and the limitations to maximization of small-worldness. The results show that the maximization of neural complexity leads to a small-world topology, but it also limits the maximization of small-worldness. It is suggested that the modular organization that corresponds to different functions may be a limitation. Additionally, the need for strong resilience against attacks may be another limitation.