Neuroimaging contrast across the cortical hierarchy is the feature maximally linked to behavior and demographics

Abstract

We employed a data-driven canonical correlation analysis to investigate the population covariance of whole-brain cortical thickness, resting-state functional connectivity, and hundreds of behavioral/demographic measures in a large cohort of individuals. We found that the maximal thickness-behavior correlation and the maximal connectivity-behavior correlation are largely converged along the same direction across subjects, which is characterized by very specific modulations of all three modalities. Along this direction, individuals tend to have more positive and less negative behavioral/demographic traits, and more importantly, their functional connectivity and cortical thickness show a similar divergent modulation across the cortical hierarchy: thinner cortex and stronger functional connectivity at the higher-order cognitive regions whereas thicker cortex and weaker connectivity at the lower-order sensory/motor areas. These findings provide a unique link between structural and functional brain organizations and human behavior. Specifically, they suggest that the cross-hierarchy contrast of structural and functional brain measures may be a specific feature linked to the overall goodness of behavior and demographics.