What is it about?
The human cerebral cortex exhibits intricate interareal functional synchronization at the macroscale, with substantial individual variability in these functional connections. However, the spatial organization of functional connectivity (FC) variability across the edges of the human connectome and its significance in cognitive development remains unclear. This study found that individual differences in functional connectivity among large-scale brain networks are heterogeneously distributed, forming what can be described as a “connectional axis” along which FC variability continuously decreases. Moreover, we quantified the heterogeneity of this connectional variability axis using an “axis slope.” Our results show that during youth, the connectional variability evolves toward a flatter axis slope, and that a steeper axis slope is positively correlated with higher-order cognitive performance.
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Why is it important?
Understanding the spatial organization of interindividual variability in functional connectivity across the human connectome can offer insights into which connections are most susceptible to insults and interventions. These findings highlight the importance of connectivity-specific plasticity in both typical and atypical cognitive development across diverse populations.
Perspectives
The cortical sensorimotor-association axis serves as a unifying organizational principle across diverse neurobiological properties. We hope this work inspires further exploration of the "connectional axis" within the human connectome, which may underlie individual cognitive development as well as broader mental and physical health.
Zaixu Cui
Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Connectional axis of individual functional variability: Patterns, structural correlates, and relevance for development and cognition, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, March 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2420228122.
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