Spatial–rhythmic network as a biomarker of familial risk for psychotic bipolar disorder

Neuronal rhythms with different temporospatial dynamics are prominent signatures of brain operation. Yet, the synchronous coupling across multiple rhythms and spatially distributed subsystems, as well as its role in brain cognition and disease, remains mysterious. Here we proposed a conceptually new framework to construct the large-scale spatial–rhythmic network (SRN) and apply it to case–control P300 electroencephalogram datasets. Results show that SRN configurations are essential substrates of attentional allocation and immediate memory for healthy controls ( N = 235), yielding prominent inter-rhythmic interactions between the δ - frontoparietal/δ - limbic network and other rhythmic subnetworks during P300 generation. Importantly, SRN deviances shared by patients with bipolar disorder ( N = 188) and their first-degree relatives ( N = 201) might be putative electrophysiological biomarkers for clinical screening of individuals at high familial risk of disease onset. The findings emphasize that configurations of SRNs have a previously unrecognized role in cognitive (dys)functions.