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Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Large-scale Three-dimensional Imaging of Cellular Organization in the Mouse Neocortex
Published on: September 5, 2018
Large-Scale Gradients in Human Cortical Organization
Julia M Huntenburg1, Pierre-Louis Bazin2, Daniel S Margulies3
1Max Planck Research Group for Neuroanatomy & Connectivity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Department of Education and Psychology, Free University of Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
Recent advances in mapping cortical areas in the human brain provide a basis for investigating the significance of their spatial arrangement. Here we describe a dominant gradient in cortical features that spans between sensorimotor and transmodal areas. We propose that this gradient constitutes a core organizing axis of the human cerebral cortex, and describe an intrinsic coordinate system on its basis. Studying the cortex with respect to these intrinsic dimensions can inform our understanding of how the spectrum of cortical function emerges from structural constraints.

