title: Comparative analysis of the macroscale structural connectivity in the macaque and human brain.
abstract: The macaque brain serves as a model for the human brain, but its suitability is challenged by unique human features, including connectivity reconfigurations, which emerged during primate evolution. We perform a quantitative comparative analysis of the whole brain macroscale structural connectivity of the two species. Our findings suggest that the human and macaque brain as a whole are similarly wired. A region-wise analysis reveals many interspecies similarities of connectivity patterns, but also lack thereof, primarily involving cingulate regions. We unravel a common structural backbone in both species involving a highly overlapping set of regions. This structural backbone, important for mediating information across the brain, seems to constitute a feature of the primate brain persevering evolution. Our findings illustrate novel evolutionary aspects at the macroscale connectivity level and offer a quantitative translational bridge between macaque and human research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Alexandros
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goulas
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine - 4, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Juelich, Germany.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bastiani
authors.affiliation: Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Gleb
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bezgin
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, Graduate School Neurosciences Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Harry B M
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Uylings
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Alard
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roebroeck
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stiers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D016880:Anisotropy; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D063132:Connectome; D004058:Diffusion; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008251:Macaca; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net; D009434:Neural Pathways; D013045:Species Specificity