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Identification of Disease-related Spatial Covariance Patterns using Neuroimaging Data

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Published on: June 26, 2013

Global order and local disorder in brain maps.

Gideon Rothschild¹, Adi Mizrahi

¹Department of Physiology and Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158;

Annual Review of Neuroscience

|April 22, 2015

Summary

Brain maps organize sensory information from the eyes and ears. This review explores how local variations within these topographic maps may enhance sensory processing and brain computations.

Keywords:

coding computations connectivity cortex functional architecture heterogeneity

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Systems Neuroscience
Sensory Processing

Background:

Topographic maps are fundamental organizational principles in mammalian sensory systems.
These maps, like retinotopy and tonotopy, are found from sensory receptors to the cortex.
The precise function of these maps and their local variations remains an active area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the anatomy and physiology of topographic brain maps.
To explore the functional significance of local heterogeneity within these maps.
To discuss the impact of map structure on sensory coding and neural computation.

Main Methods:

Review of existing anatomical and physiological studies.
Analysis of topographic maps across different spatial scales (macroscale to microarchitecture).
Emphasis on visual and auditory systems.

Main Results:

Topographic maps exhibit smooth macroscale organization but local microarchitectural heterogeneity.
Local heterogeneity may reflect complex cortical connectivity patterns.
This heterogeneity has potential implications for sensory coding and local computations.

Conclusions:

Local heterogeneity in brain maps is a key feature with potential functional advantages.
Understanding these microarchitectural details is crucial for deciphering sensory processing and neural computation.
Further research is needed to fully elucidate the role of local variations in brain map function.