Valerie J. Sydnor

Generalizable sex differences in functional brain organization follow the cortical hierarchy in youth

The paper examines sex differences in functional brain connectivity across youth, finding that males show greater network integration while females show greater network segregation along the sensorimotor-association axis.

Algorithmic Geometry Shapes the Biological Meaning of Thalamocortical Structural Covariance

The paper compares five algorithms for deriving structural covariance networks in the thalamocortical system and finds they emphasize different neurobiological aspects based on their mathematical properties.

Insula functional connectivity development follows a canonical antero-posterior axis of organization

This study examines insula functional connectivity development across 562 individuals, showing spatially heterogeneous changes aligned with an antero-posterior axis.

Task-evoked flexibility of intrinsic neural timescales is hierarchically organized, behaviorally relevant, and refined across two developmental stages

The paper shows that neural timescale flexibility adapts to task demands, is hierarchically organized, and develops through two stages in youth.

An Open Test--Retest Dataset of Rapid Myelin Mapping Acquisitions

The paper introduces a multimodal MRI dataset to evaluate myelin-sensitive imaging methods across test-retest acquisitions and metrics.

Intrinsic timescale develops hierarchically from sensorimotor to association cortex in youth and stabilizes in adulthood

Resting-state fMRI intrinsic timescale lengthens with age in association, not sensorimotor, cortex during ages 8-22, following the sensorimotor-association axis in two cohorts; it is largely age-stable in young adults.

Anatomical White Matter Tracts Span the Cortical Hierarchy to Support Cognitive Diversity

The paper shows that white matter tracts are positioned within the cortical hierarchy to support specific cognitive functions and connect regions with greater cognitive diversity.

Developmental Changes in Gray Matter Microstructure and Local Brain Connectivity Support Inhibitory Control from Adolescence to Young Adulthood

Nucleus-level thalamic organization anchors multimodal signatures of thalamocortical maturation

The paper examines thalamocortical maturation by analyzing FA changes and functional connectivity in 10 thalamic nuclei across childhood and adolescence.

Mapping the spatiotemporal continuum of structural connectivity development across the human connectome in youth

The paper identifies a spatiotemporal continuum of structural connectivity development in youth, showing a shift from sensorimotor to association connectivity around age 15 and its links to cognition and psychopathology.

White matter reflects the childhood exposome

This study links childhood environmental exposures to white matter structure in children, showing that advantaged environments correlate with larger white matter tracts and reduced orientation dispersion.

Highly replicable multisite patterns of adolescent white matter maturation

The paper presents a curated dataset of processed diffusion MRI data from the ABCD Study, showing that specific diffusion metrics are sensitive to adolescent white matter development and robust to image quality variation.

Two Axes of White Matter Development

This study identifies two axes of white matter development in human cortico-cortical tracts using diffusion MRI across three datasets, revealing non-uniform maturation patterns.

Cross-species evidence for the refinement of intrinsic neural timescales supporting executive system maturation through adolescence

The paper investigates how intrinsic neural timescales develop across adolescence in multiple species, finding reductions linked to improved cognitive function and structural changes.

Benchmarking Orientation Distribution Function Estimation Methods for Tractometry in Single-Shell Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging - An Evaluation of Test-Retest Reliability and Predictive Capability

This paper evaluates ODF reconstruction methods for single-shell dMRI, finding SS3T provides reliable and predictive WM bundle segmentation with lower angular resolution data.

Connectional axis of individual functional variability: Patterns, structural correlates, and relevance for development and cognition

The paper identifies a connectional axis of functional connectivity variability across the human connectome, showing its structural correlates, developmental changes, and link to cognitive performance.

Heterochronous laminar myelination in the human prefrontal cortex

This study investigates the timing of myelin maturation in different layers of the human prefrontal cortex and finds that deep layers mature earlier than superficial layers, affecting neural activity and cognitive processing.

Maturation of striatal dopamine supports the development of habitual behavior through adolescence

The paper examines how striatal dopamine maturation supports habitual behavior development from adolescence to adulthood using longitudinal data.

A sensorimotor-association axis of thalamocortical connection development

The paper shows thalamocortical connections develop along a sensorimotor-association gradient in youth, linking structural connectivity to cortical plasticity and environmental sensitivity.

Conserved whole-brain spatiomolecular gradients shape adult brain functional organization

The paper identifies three conserved spatiomolecular gradients in the adult human brain that align with developmental axes and predict functional territories.

Functional Connectivity Development along the Sensorimotor-Association Axis Enhances the Cortical Hierarchy

The paper examines how functional connectivity develops along the sensorimotor-association axis during childhood to adolescence, finding that sensorimotor connectivity increases while association connectivity decreases, reinforcing cortical hierarchy.

XCP-D: A Robust Pipeline for the post-processing of fMRI data

XCP-D provides a standardized, reproducible post-processing pipeline for fMRI data, supporting multiple pre-processing pipelines and BIDS best practices.

Development of White Matter Fiber Covariance Networks Supports Executive Function in Youth

This study identifies white matter fiber covariance networks in youth, showing their development aligns with executive function and hierarchical cortical maturation patterns.

In-vivo whole-cortex estimation of excitation-inhibition ratio indexes cortical maturation and cognitive ability in youth

The paper estimates the whole-cortex excitation-inhibition ratio using fMRI and shows it declines during youth, with lower ratios linked to better cognitive performance in children.

Establishing the Validity of Compressed Sensing Diffusion Spectrum Imaging

This study evaluates six compressed sensing diffusion spectrum imaging (CS-DSI) schemes, finding they provide accurate and reliable white matter structure measures with up to 80% reduced scan time compared to full DSI.

Compression supports low-dimensional representations of behavior across neural circuits

The paper uses network theory to predict compression levels in neural circuits and finds differences in dimensionality and representational capacity across brain regions and behaviors.

An open, analysis-ready, and quality controlled resource for pediatric brain white-matter research

The paper curates and provides analysis-ready diffusion MRI data for pediatric brain white-matter research, including automated quality control using a trained neural network.

Personalized Functional Brain Network Topography Predicts Individual Differences in Youth Cognition

The paper defines personalized functional networks in children to predict cognitive differences, finding that fronto-parietal network representation correlates with general cognition.

Intrinsic Activity Develops Along a Sensorimotor-Association Cortical Axis in Youth

The paper shows that intrinsic brain activity decreases along a sensorimotor-association cortical axis during human development, with reduced activity in disadvantaged youth.

Retinal ganglion cell endowment is correlated with optic tract fiber cross section, not density

The paper finds that retinal ganglion cell endowment correlates with optic tract cross section, not density, and that anatomical variations are locally correlated along the visual pathway.