Connectivity and function are coupled across cognitive domains throughout the brain.
Kelly J Hiersche1,2, Zeynep M Saygin1,2, David E Osher1,2
1Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|August 12, 2025
Summary
Brain connectivity robustly predicts brain activity across diverse cognitive tasks. This finding confirms functional connectivity as a core principle of brain organization, aiding future predictive models.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Brain functional organization is largely consistent across individuals.
- Resting-state brain activity mirrors task-evoked networks.
- Functional specialization is assumed to stem from brain region connectivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the association between task activation and functional connectivity is consistent across the brain and various cognitive tasks.
- To determine the robustness of the relationship between brain activity and connectivity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized ridge regression models to analyze activation maps from 33 cognitive domains.
- Employed resting-state functional connectivity data from the Human Connectome Project as predictor variables.
- Examined the predictive power of functional connectivity for task-evoked brain activity.
Main Results:
- A robust relationship was observed between brain activity and functional connectivity across all brain regions and cognitive domains.
- Higher-order, domain-general cognitive functions exhibited the strongest association between activation and connectivity.
- The findings indicate a consistent link between how brain regions are connected and how they function during cognitive tasks.
Conclusions:
- Functional connectivity is a fundamental organizational principle of brain function.
- The study provides comprehensive evidence supporting the link between connectivity and brain activity across a wide range of cognitive tasks.
- These results serve as a valuable reference for developing individualized predictive models in neuroscience.
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