Structural connectivity

Structural connectivity (also known as anatomical connectivity) is actual connectivity of the brain. The units correspond to individual neurons, neuronal populations, or anatomically segregated brain regions. The connectivity pattern is formed by structural links such as synapses or fiber pathways. Analyses of structural brain connectivity patterns, for example of large-scale connectivity matrices of the cerebral cortex, allow the quantification of a broad range of network characteristics. Results demonstrate that the cerebral cortex is comprised of clusters of densely and reciprocally coupled cortical areas that are globally interconnected. These connectivity patterns are neither completely regular nor completely random, but combine structural aspects of both of these extremes. Large-scale cortical networks share some attributes of small-world networks, including high values for clustering coefficients and short characteristic path lengths, and they are composed of specific sets of structural motifs. An analysis of the structural contributions of individual areas allows the identification and classification of network hubs, defined as highly connected and highly central brain regions, which include areas of parietal and prefrontal cortex. The structural networks of the human cerebral cortex have not yet been comprehensively mapped. The use of noninvasive diffusion imaging methodologies has opened new and promising avenues towards achieving this important goal. Sometimes, structural connectivity is tried to infer from functional connectivity joined with other information.

See also

Functional connectivity, Effective connectivity, Connectomics

Papers

• Honey, C. J., Sporns, O., Cammoun, L., Gigandet, X., Thiran, J. P., Meuli, R., & Hagmann, P. (2009). Predicting human resting-state functional connectivity from structural connectivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(6), 2035-2040.
• Greicius, M. D., Supekar, K., Menon, V., & Dougherty, R. F. (2009). Resting-state functional connectivity reflects structural connectivity in the default mode network. Cerebral cortex, 19(1), 72-78.
• Van Den Heuvel, M. P., Mandl, R. C., Kahn, R. S., Pol, H., & Hilleke, E. (2009). Functionally linked resting‐state networks reflect the underlying structural connectivity architecture of the human brain. Human brain mapping, 30(10), 3127-3141.
• Hermundstad, Ann M., et al. Structural foundations of resting-state and task-based functional connectivity in the human brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(15), 6169-6174.
• Upadhyay, J., Silver, A., Knaus, T. A., Lindgren, K. A., Ducros, M., Kim, D. S., & Tager-Flusberg, H. (2008). Effective and structural connectivity in the human auditory cortex. The Journal of Neuroscience, 28(13), 3341-3349.