Friston, University College London, United Kingdom (2008) Mapping the Structural Core of Human Cerebral Cortex. Based on our findings, we suggest that the structural core of the brain may have a central role in integrating information across functionally segregated brain regions.Ĭitation: Hagmann P, Cammoun L, Gigandet X, Meuli R, Honey CJ, Wedeen VJ, et al. We found that structural connection patterns and functional interactions between regions of cortex were significantly correlated. Because we were interested in how brain structure relates to brain function, we also recorded brain activation patterns from the same participant group. Key components of the core are portions of posterior medial cortex that are known to be highly activated at rest, when the brain is not engaged in a cognitively demanding task. Computational analyses of the resulting complex brain network reveal regions of cortex that are highly connected and highly central, forming a structural core of the human brain. Using diffusion imaging techniques, which allow the noninvasive mapping of fiber pathways, we constructed connection maps covering the entire cortical surface. In the human brain, neural activation patterns are shaped by the underlying structural connections that form a dense network of fiber pathways linking all regions of the cerebral cortex. The spatial and topological centrality of the core within cortex suggests an important role in functional integration. Looking both within and outside of core regions, we observed a substantial correspondence between structural connectivity and resting-state functional connectivity measured in the same participants. The structural core contains brain regions that form the posterior components of the human default network. Brain regions within the structural core share high degree, strength, and betweenness centrality, and they constitute connector hubs that link all major structural modules. An analysis of the resulting large-scale structural brain networks reveals a structural core within posterior medial and parietal cerebral cortex, as well as several distinct temporal and frontal modules. By using diffusion spectrum imaging, we noninvasively mapped these pathways within and across cortical hemispheres in individual human participants. The brain houses an estimated 10,000 connections among 100 billion neurons.Structurally segregated and functionally specialized regions of the human cerebral cortex are interconnected by a dense network of cortico-cortical axonal pathways. New imaging techniques such as high-angular diffusion (HARDI) are developed and refined to produce better resolution of the neural connections. As the project develops, so does the technology. Many of these techniques use diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) which tracks the movement of water molecules from one area of the brain to another in response to interactions with other brain matter such as fibers or membranes. HCP is amassing a very large collection of data gathered from imaging the brains of thousands of healthy individuals.Using a variety of imaging techniques, researchers are able to create a blueprint of the different types of neural connectivity within the brain. The project integrates the fields of psychology, computer science, mathematics, and brain imaging. Their goal is to create a complete map of brain connectivity (both structural and functional), otherwise known as a connectome.
Having first begun in July 2009, the Human Connectome Project (HCP) is a joint undertaking by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as well as four universities and one hospital.