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Whole-Brain Fractional Anisotropy, Centered on the Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus, Is Positively Correlated With

Keisuke Kokubun¹, Kiyotaka Nemoto², Maya Okamoto³

¹Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

Brain and Behavior

|April 27, 2026

Abstract

Introduction:

With the growth of the global urban population, interest in urban aesthetics has been steadily increasing. Previous studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine brain responses have suggested that various brain regions may be involved in the perception of urban aesthetics. However, the relationship between brain structure and urban aesthetics remains largely unexplored.

Methods:

In this study, we hypothesized that fractional anisotropy (FA) in the whole brain and in the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), reflecting large-scale structural connectivity across brain regions, would be associated with subjective evaluations of urban aesthetics. To test this hypothesis, we conducted diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a sample of 82 healthy adults recruited in Japan.

Results:

The results showed that both whole-brain FA and SLF FA were positively correlated with the Aesthetic Quality Scale, which reflects urban aesthetics.

Conclusion:

This study is the first to demonstrate that urban aesthetics may be associated with white matter microstructure.

Keywords:

diffusion tensor imaging fractional anisotropy magnetic resonance imaging superior longitudinal fasciculus urban aesthetics

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