Functionnectome as a framework to analyse the contribution of brain circuits to fMRI

Nozais V, Forkel SJ, Foulon C, Petit L, Thiebaut de Schotten M
Commun Biol. ; :
DOI: 10.1038/S42003-021-02530-2

PubMed
Read on PubMed



Nozais V(1)(2), Forkel SJ(3)(4)(5), Foulon C(6), Petit L(3), Thiebaut de Schotten M(7)(8).

Author information:
(1)Groupe d’Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives-UMR 5293, CNRS, CEA, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.
.
(2)Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Laboratory, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France. .
(3)Groupe d’Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives-UMR 5293, CNRS, CEA, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.
(4)Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Laboratory, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France.
(5)Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK.
(6)Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK.
(7)Groupe d’Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives-UMR 5293, CNRS, CEA, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France. .
(8)Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Laboratory, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France. .

In recent years, the field of functional neuroimaging has moved away from a pure localisationist approach of isolated functional brain regions to a more integrated view of these regions within functional networks. However, the methods
used to investigate functional networks rely on local signals in grey matter and are limited in identifying anatomical circuitries supporting the interaction between brain regions. Mapping the brain circuits mediating the functional signal
between brain regions would propel our understanding of the brain’s functional signatures and dysfunctions. We developed a method to unravel the relationship between brain circuits and functions: The Functionnectome. The Functionnectome combines the functional signal from fMRI with white matter circuits’ anatomy to unlock and chart the first maps of functional white matter. To showcase this method’s versatility, we provide the first functional white matter maps revealing the joint contribution of connected areas to motor, working memory, and language functions. The Functionnectome comes with an open-source companion software and opens new avenues into studying functional networks by applying the method to already existing datasets and beyond task fMRI.

© 2021. The Author(s).

DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02530-2
PMID: 34475518

Know more about