Multimodal, multifaceted Imaging-based Human Brain White Matter Atlas

Abstract

Comparable to an atlas for navigating the Earth, a brain atlas outlines the brains neuroanatomical and functional landmarks. The tract-based brains white matter atlas (WMA) captures only tract boundaries, neglecting functionally relevant information, including emerging evidence on reliable neurodynamic detection in WM. Thus, a suitable WMA for functional investigations is needed. We delineated WM areas from coarse to fine-grained parcellations using local anatomical architecture and global functional dynamics using multimodal 7-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging in the Human Connectome Project. The multimodal WMA (MWMA) exhibited high between-subject consistency (69.1%) and test-retest reliability (93.1%), which aligned with the spatial pattern of chemoarchitectural homogeneity derived from open molecular imaging sources. Compared to a tract-based atlas, the MWMA better described the white matters cerebellum-association gradient axis, and precisely identified unique functional connectivity profiles of the corpus callosum. This improved MWMA will facilitate studies of WM functional organization, supporting cognition research and ultimately neuropathological vulnerability studies from a whole brain perspective.