A cortical wiring space links cellular architecture, functional dynamics and hierarchies in humans

Abstract

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWThe vast net of fibres within and underneath the cortex is optimised to support the convergence of different levels of brain organisation. Here we propose a novel coordinate system of the human cortex based on an advanced model of its connectivity. Our approach is inspired by seminal, but so far largely neglected models of cortico-cortical wiring established by post mortem anatomical studies and capitalizes on cutting-edge neuroimaging and machine learning. The new model expands the currently prevailing diffusion MRI tractography approach by incorporation of additional features of cortical microstructure and cortico-cortical proximity. Studying several datasets, we could show that our coordinate system robustly recapitulates established sensory-limbic and anterior-posterior dimensions of brain organisation. A series of validation experiments showed that the new wiring space reflects cortical microcircuit features (including pyramidal neuron depth and glial expression) and allowed for competitive simulations of functional connectivity and dynamics across a broad range contexts (based on resting-state fMRI, task-based fMRI, and human intracranial EEG coherence). Our results advance our understanding of how cell-specific neurobiological gradients produce a hierarchical cortical wiring scheme that is concordant with increasing functional sophistication of human brain organisation. Our evaluations demonstrate the cortical wiring space bridges across scales of neural organisation and can be easily translated to single individuals. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=148 SRC="FIGDIR/small/899583v4_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (30K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1b1c601org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@3e76c7org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@e828e5org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1d4f8ce_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG