title: A Systematic Relationship Between Functional Connectivity and Intracortical Myelin in the Human Cerebral Cortex.
abstract: Research in the macaque monkey suggests that cortical areas with similar microstructure are more likely to be connected. Here, we examine this link in the human cerebral cortex using 2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures: quantitative  T1 maps, which are sensitive to intracortical myelin content and provide an in vivo proxy for cortical microstructure, and resting-state functional connectivity. Using ultrahigh-resolution MRI at 7 T and dedicated image processing tools, we demonstrate a systematic relationship between T1-based intracortical myelin content and functional connectivity. This effect is independent of the proximity of areas. We employ nonlinear dimensionality reduction to characterize connectivity components and identify specific aspects of functional connectivity that are linked to myelin content. Our results reveal a consistent spatial pattern throughout different analytic approaches. While functional connectivity and myelin content are closely linked in unimodal areas, the correspondence is lower in transmodal areas, especially in posteromedial cortex and the angular gyrus. Our findings are in agreement with comprehensive reports linking histologically assessed microstructure and connectivity in different mammalian species and extend them to the human cerebral cortex in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Research Group for Neuroanatomy and Connectivity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.|Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Department of Education and Psychology, Free University of Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Huntenburg
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.|Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Pierre-Louis
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Bazin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Computational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexandros
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goulas
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.|Cerebral Imaging Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University 6875, Montreal, QC, Canada H4H 1R3.
authors.forename: Christine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Tardif
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Arno
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Villringer
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Research Group for Neuroanatomy and Connectivity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Margulies
mesh_terms: D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000378:metabolism*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D012146:Rest; D012984:Software; D066127:White Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cortical microstructure; functional connectivity; high-resolution MRI; myelin imaging