Transcriptomic and macroscopic architectures of intersubject functional variability in human brain white-matter
Jiao Li1,2,3, Guo-Rong Wu4, Bing Li1,3
1The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, P.R. China.
Communications Biology
|December 21, 2021
Summary
Brain white matter functional connectivity (WMFC) varies between individuals. This study links these variations to gene expression, cell types, and brain specialization, offering insights into neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Intersubject variability is a key feature of brain organization, not mere noise.
- While gray matter functional connectivity (FC) variability is known, white matter (WM) variability mechanisms are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify white matter functional connectivity (WMFC) variabilities in healthy subjects.
- Determine the genetic basis and macroscale imaging correlates of WMFC variability.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed WMFC in 45 healthy individuals.
- Integrated functional localization, gene expression profiles, and macroscale imaging data.
Main Results:
- WMFC variability is heterogeneous, concentrated in heteromodal cortex.
- Heteromodal region variability links to neuronal genes, synapse, and glutamatergic pathways, associated with psychiatric disorders.
- Unimodal region variability links to glial cells and neurological diseases.
Conclusions:
- WMFC variability has distinct transcriptomic and cellular signatures.
- These signatures relate to macroscale brain specialization and offer insights into brain disorders.
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