Fig. 4: Results from data set 2: altered inter-network connectivity strength in relation to low-grade inflammation and stress exposure.
a Box-and-whisker plots show the distribution of standardized mean connectivity strength within the higher-order cognitive network system, including the SAN, CEN, and DMNa between the low-grade inflammatory (n = 49) and the noninflammatory groups (n = 49) (left box), as well as the stress-exposed (n = 52) and -unexposed groups (n = 46) (right box). b Box-and-whisker plots show the distribution of standardized mean connectivity strength for the higher-order cognitive network system and the primary sensory network system between the low-grade inflammatory (n = 49) and the noninflammatory groups (n = 49) (left box), as well as the stress-exposed (n = 52) and -unexposed groups (n = 46) (right box). Box-and-whisker plots represent the mean values (red dotted lines inside boxes), median values (black lines inside the boxes), the inter-quartile range (bottom and top ends of the boxes), and the 10th and 90th percentiles of the data (whiskers). Red and blue lines in the schematic diagram for inter-network connection clusters indicate the positive and negative coupling of networks, respectively. Group differences were calculated using the generalized linear models after adjusting for age and sex. P values (for two-sided testing) in the bar graph are permutation-adjusted P values (10,000 permutations). Radar graphs in panels a and b demonstrate comparisons of inter-network connectivity strength between the noninflammatory/stress-unexposed group (n = 24) and each of the remaining three groups, including the low-grade inflammatory/stress-unexposed (n = 22), noninflammatory/stress-exposed (n = 25), and low-grade inflammatory/stress-exposed group (n = 27), respectively. Asterisks indicate a statistically significant between-group difference in mean connectivity strengths obtained by both the a priori-defined and data-driven inter-network clustering approaches. Source data are provided as a Source Data file. SAN salience network, DMN default mode network, DMNa default mode network, anterior, CEN central executive network, SMN sensorimotor network, VIN visual network.
