Wang Yezhou, Eichert Nicole, Paquola Casey, Rodriguez-Cruces Raul, DeKraker Jordan, Royer Jessica, Cabalo Donna Gift, Auer Hans, Ngo Alexander, Leppert Ilana R, Tardif Christine L, Rudko David A, Leech Robert, Amunts Katrin, Valk Sofie L, Smallwood Jonathan, Evans Alan C, Bernhardt Boris C
McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Nat Commun. 2025 Apr 25;16(1):3911. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-59177-4.
Functional specialization of brain areas and subregions, as well as their integration into large-scale networks, are key principles in neuroscience. Consolidating both local and global perspectives on cortical organization, however, remains challenging. Here, we present an approach to integrate inter- and intra-areal similarities of microstructure, structural connectivity, and functional interactions. Using high-field in-vivo 7 tesla (7 T) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data and a probabilistic post-mortem atlas of cortical cytoarchitecture, we derive multimodal gradients that capture cortex-wide organization. Inter-areal similarities follow a canonical sensory-fugal gradient, linking cortical integration with functional diversity across tasks. However, intra-areal heterogeneity does not follow this pattern, with greater variability in association cortices. Findings are replicated in an independent 7 T dataset and a 100-subject 3 tesla (3 T) cohort. These results highlight a robust coupling between local arealization and global cortical motifs, advancing our understanding of how specialization and integration shape human brain function.
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