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Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain
Published on: October 13, 2023
The small-world organization of large-scale brain systems and relationships with subcortical structures
Leonard F Koziol1, Lauren A Barker, Arthur W Joyce
1a Private Practice, Clinical Neuropsychology , Arlington Heights , Illinois.
Abstract:
Brain structure and function is characterized by large-scale brain systems. However, each system has its own "small-world" organization, with sub-regions, or "hubs," that have varying degrees of specialization for certain cognitive and behavioral processes. This article describes this small-world organization, and the concepts of functional specialization and functional integration are defined and explained through practical examples. We also describe the development of large-scale brain systems and this small-world organization as a sensitive, protracted process, vulnerable to a variety of influences that generate neurodevelopmental disorders.
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