Cortical long-range dynamics track excitation-inhibition balance across cognitive states and organizational principles

MRS-derived excitation-inhibition balance is expressed in long-range temporal dynamics across human cortical states, with its relationship reversing during task engagement and tracking arousal-linked activity.

• Why it matters: It addresses how excitation-inhibition balance shapes neural temporal structure and whether non-invasive neural scaling can recover this neurochemical relationship across brain states.
• What they did: The study links MRS-derived E/I balance to long-range dynamics and tests constraints from cortical cytoarchitecture, including inhibitory circuit laminar organization and sensory-association axis effects at rest versus task engagement.
• The result: The E/I–dynamics relationship reverses during task engagement and extends to arousal-linked dynamics indexed by pupil diameter and microsaccades, implying a global cortical mode with structured scalable signatures.

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