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

Abstract

A fundamental question in systems neuroscience is how the brain's excitation-inhibition (E/I) balance shapes the temporal structure of neural activity and whether we can non-invasively recover this relationship from neural scaling properties. We show that MRS-derived E/I balance is expressed in long-range temporal dynamics and constrained by cytoarchitecture. The laminar organisation of inhibitory circuits, spanning agranular to granular cortex, determines how faithfully regional dynamics reflect E/I balance. This neurochemical signature is state-dependent: its relationship with cortical dynamics reverses during task engagement, consistent with traversal of dynamical regimes around a critical point. It extends beyond fMRI to arousal-linked dynamics, indexed by pupil diameter and microsaccades, indicating a global mode of cortical state rather than a regionally isolated property. The imprint of E/I balance on long-range dynamics follows the sensory-association axis at rest, and is reconfigured during task engagement. These findings establish E/I balance as a neurochemical quantity with structured, scalable signatures across the temporal and spatial organization of the human cortex.