Functional brain organization is stable within individuals across years.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|June 22, 2026
Summary
Brain functional networks are remarkably stable over time, showing individual-specific organization preserved for up to 13 years. This suggests brain architecture reflects enduring personal identity, supported by homeostatic mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human Brain Imaging
- Functional Connectivity
Background:
- Brain activity forms large-scale functional networks, measurable via resting-state correlations.
- While often seen as dynamic, these networks may be person-specific and stable over time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term stability of individual functional brain networks.
- To determine if functional network organization persists across years.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal precision functional MRI (fMRI) data collected from healthy young adults over 1-13 years.
- Replication using the MyConnectome dataset with a 10-year follow-up.
Main Results:
- Individual functional brain network organization remained stable over prolonged periods (up to 13 years).
- Sufficient per-participant data revealed persistent, unique characteristics of brain organization within individuals.
Conclusions:
- The healthy young adult brain's functional organization is preserved long-term, exhibiting stable, individual characteristics.
- This stability suggests brain architecture encodes persistent features of personal identity, potentially maintained by homeostatic mechanisms.
- Findings offer insights into brain resilience, plasticity, and markers of healthy brain function.
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