Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94103, USA.
Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94103, USA.
Curr Biol. 2021 Jun 7;31(11):2386-2394.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.004. Epub 2021 Mar 25.
Anatomical connectivity can constrain both a neural circuit's function and its underlying computation. This principle has been demonstrated for many small, defined neural circuits. For example, connectome reconstructions have informed models for direction selectivity in the vertebrate retina as well as the Drosophila visual system. In these cases, the circuit in question is relatively compact, well-defined, and has known functions. However, how the connectome constrains global properties of large-scale networks, across multiple brain regions or the entire brain, is incompletely understood. As the availability of partial or complete connectomes expands to more systems and species it becomes critical to understand how this detailed anatomical information can inform our understanding of large-scale circuit function. Here, we use data from the Drosophila connectome in conjunction with whole-brain in vivo imaging to relate structural and functional connectivity in the central brain. We find a strong relationship between resting-state functional correlations and direct region-to-region structural connectivity. We find that the relationship between structure and function varies across the brain, with some regions displaying a tight correspondence between structural and functional connectivity whereas others, including the mushroom body, are more strongly dependent on indirect connections. Throughout this work, we observe features of structural and functional networks in Drosophila that are strikingly similar to those seen in mammalian cortex, including in the human brain. Given the vast anatomical and functional differences between Drosophila and mammalian nervous systems, these observations suggest general principles that govern brain structure, function, and the relationship between the two.
解剖连接性可以约束神经回路的功能及其潜在的计算。这一原则已经在许多小而明确的神经回路中得到了证明。例如，连接组重建为脊椎动物视网膜和果蝇视觉系统中的方向选择性模型提供了信息。在这些情况下，所讨论的回路相对紧凑、明确，并且具有已知的功能。然而，连接组如何约束跨多个脑区或整个大脑的大规模网络的全局属性，还不完全清楚。随着部分或完整连接组在更多系统和物种中的可用性的扩展，了解如何利用这种详细的解剖学信息来帮助我们理解大规模回路功能变得至关重要。在这里，我们使用果蝇连接组的数据结合全脑在体成像来研究中枢脑的结构和功能连接。我们发现静息状态功能相关性与直接的区域间结构连接之间存在很强的关系。我们发现，结构和功能之间的关系在大脑中是不同的，一些区域在结构和功能连接之间存在紧密的对应关系，而其他区域，包括蘑菇体，则更依赖于间接连接。在整个工作中，我们观察到果蝇的结构和功能网络的特征与哺乳动物皮层中观察到的特征非常相似，包括人类大脑。鉴于果蝇和哺乳动物神经系统之间存在巨大的解剖和功能差异，这些观察结果表明了支配大脑结构、功能以及两者之间关系的一般原则。
