Multimodal gradients unify local and global cortical organization

2025/04/25 by Yezhou Wang, Nicole Eichert, Casey Paquola +15 · 1 voice · 10 citations
Medicine · Neuroscience · #Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications #Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications #Artificial intelligence #Biology #Brain mapping #Computer science #Cytoarchitecture #Functional Brain Connectivity Studies #Functional connectivity #Functional magnetic resonance imaging #Neuroimaging #Neuroscience #Probabilistic logic #Sensory system #Systems neuroscience

paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-59177-4

published in Nature Communications 16(1), 3911 (Nature Portfolio)

openalex publication_date 2025/04/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06

Abstract

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.

Citations

• The organization of the human cerebral cortex estimated by intrinsic functional connectivity

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• Hierarchical Signatures of Language in the Human Brain [europepmc]
• Functional gradients dissociate between cortical layers [europepmc]

Discussions

• in press @natcomms.nature.com 🌟 "Multimodal gradients unify local and global cortical organization" 7T MRI + cytoarchitectonics reveal a sensory-paralimbic axis of areal specialization & integrati [bsky, 41 points, 0 comments]

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