Inter-modality source coupling: a fully- automated whole-brain data-driven structure- function fingerprint shows replicable links to reading in a large-scale (N~8K) analysis

ObjectiveBoth structural and functional brain changes have been individually associated with developing cognitive processes such as reading. However, there is limited research about the combined influence of resting-state functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI and sMRI) features in reading development, which could provide insights into the interplay between brain structure and function in shaping cognitive growth. We propose a method called inter-modality source coupling (IMSC) to study the coupling between the rs-fMRI and sMRI and its relationship to reading ability in school-age children. MethodsThis approach is applied to baseline data from four thousand participants (9-11 years) and replicated in a second group. Our analysis focused on the relationship of IMSC to overall reading score. ResultsOur findings indicate that higher reading ability was linked with increased function-structure coupling among higher-level cortical regions, particularly those links between the inferior parietal lobule and inferior frontal areas, and conversely, lower reading ability was associated with enhanced function-structure coupling among the fusiform and lingual gyrus. Our study found evidence of spatial correspondence between the data indicating an interplay between brain structure and function in our participants. ConclusionOur approach revealed a linked pattern of whole brain structure to the corresponding functional connectivity pattern that correlated with reading ability. This novel IMSC analysis method provides a new approach to study the multimodal relationship between brain function and structure. SignificanceThese findings have interesting implications for understanding the multimodal complexity underlying the development of the neural basis for reading ability in school-aged children.