Reproducing macaque lateral grasping and oculomotor networks using resting state functional connectivity and...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Comparative Anatomy
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Cortico-cortical networks for motor control are well-established in macaques via invasive methods.
• Non-invasive neuroimaging allows human brain network studies but faces anatomical accuracy challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare macaque motor control network connections derived from axonal tracing with those from diffusion imaging tractography and resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC).
• To assess the accuracy of non-invasive neuroimaging techniques in replicating known anatomical connectivity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized in vivo macaque MRI data from the PRIME-DE resource.
• Applied diffusion imaging tractography (probabilistic and deterministic) and rs-FC (group-level and native space).
• Defined network sectors anatomically and compared tractography/rs-FC results with tracer data.

Main Results:

• Parieto-frontal connections were best reproduced by both structural and functional connectivity methods.
• Tractography demonstrated higher specificity but lower sensitivity compared to tracer data.
• Native space rs-FC showed higher sensitivity but lower specificity than group-level rs-FC.

Conclusions:

• Non-invasive neuroimaging techniques show utility in mapping macaque motor control networks.
• Ex vivo histological validation is essential for refining neuroimaging accuracy and understanding discrepancies.
• Findings have implications for interpreting human neuroimaging studies of brain connectivity.