Gradients of connectivity distance are anchored in primary cortex.
Connectivity between distant cortical areas is a valuable, yet costly feature of cortical organization and is predominantly found between regions of heteromodal association cortex. The recently proposed 'tethering hypothesis' describes the emergence of long-distance connections in association cortex as a function of their spatial separation from primary cortical regions. Here, we investigate this possibility by characterizing the distance between functionally connected areas along the cortical surface. We found a systematic relationship between an area's characteristic connectivity distance and its distance from primary cortical areas. Specifically, the further a region is located from primary sensorimotor regions, the more distant are its functional connections with other areas of the cortex. The measure of connectivity distance also captured major functional subdivisions of the cerebral cortex: unimodal, attention, and higher-order association regions. Our findings provide evidence for the anchoring role of primary cortical regions in establishing the spatial distribution of cortical properties that are related to functional specialization and differentiation.
Max Planck Research Group for Neuroanatomy & Connectivity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04317, Leipzig, Germany.|Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Sabine
S
Oligschläger
Max Planck Research Group for Neuroanatomy & Connectivity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04317, Leipzig, Germany.|Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Department of Education and Psychology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Julia M
JM
Huntenburg
Max Planck Research Group for Neuroanatomy & Connectivity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04317, Leipzig, Germany.
Johannes
J
Golchert
Max Planck Research Group for Neuroanatomy & Connectivity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04317, Leipzig, Germany.
Mark E
ME
Lauckner
Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Tyler
T
Bonnen
Max Planck Research Group for Neuroanatomy & Connectivity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04317, Leipzig, Germany. margulies@cbs.mpg.de.
Daniel S
DS
Margulies
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
Connectivity; Cortical organization; Spatial organization; Topography