title: The small-world organization of large-scale brain systems and relationships with subcortical structures.
abstract: Brain structure and function is characterized by large-scale brain systems. However, each system has its own "small-world" organization, with sub-regions, or "hubs," that have varying degrees of specialization for certain cognitive and behavioral processes. This article describes this small-world organization, and the concepts of functional specialization and functional integration are defined and explained through practical examples. We also describe the development of large-scale brain systems and this small-world organization as a sensitive, protracted process, vulnerable to a variety of influences that generate neurodevelopmental disorders.
authors.affiliation: a Private Practice, Clinical Neuropsychology , Arlington Heights , Illinois.
authors.forename: Leonard F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Koziol
authors.forename: Lauren A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Barker
authors.forename: Arthur W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Joyce
authors.forename: Skip
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hrin
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D059906:Neuroimaging
keywords: brain hub specialization; functional integration; functional specialization; neurodevelopmental processes