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Updated: Apr 19, 2026
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Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain
Published on: October 13, 2023
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Large-scale topology and the default mode network in the mouse connectome
James M Stafford1, Benjamin R Jarrett2, Oscar Miranda-Dominguez2
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016;
Summary
Researchers developed a new method for high-resolution functional brain imaging in mice. This technique reveals conserved brain network properties, including a potential default mode network (DMN), crucial for translational neuroscience research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Translational Imaging
- Comparative Brain Architecture
Background:
- Noninvasive functional imaging is vital for bridging human and animal models of neurological disorders.
- Understanding large-scale functional brain architecture in mice is limited, hindering translation.
- Mouse models offer detailed cellular insights but lack comprehensive functional connectivity data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a robust pipeline for high-resolution resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) in the mouse brain.
- To validate mouse rs-fcMRI against structural connectomics and primate network properties.
- To investigate the presence and characteristics of a default mode network (DMN) in mice.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a novel processing pipeline for whole-brain rs-fcMRI in mice.
- Integrated mesoscale structural connectome data for validation.
- Analyzed large-scale network properties and default mode network (DMN) presence.
Main Results:
- Established a robust method for generating high-resolution mouse rs-fcMRI.
- Demonstrated strong structural underpinnings for mouse functional connectivity.
- Identified conserved, yet distinct, large-scale network properties compared to primates.
- Provided evidence for a structurally and functionally present default mode network (DMN) in mice.
Conclusions:
- Mouse brains exhibit fundamental large-scale network properties and functional networks relevant to human conditions.
- The developed rs-fcMRI pipeline and findings facilitate stronger translational conclusions between mouse and human models.
- This work establishes a critical bridge for comparative neuroscience, linking molecular manipulations to human brain function.
