Chinese scientists uncover complex blueprint of human brain cortex

BEIJING -- Researchers from the Institute of Automation at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have revealed the intrinsic relationship between the topological structure of human brain cortex connections and genetic characteristics, according to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience. The study addresses a fundamental question: How do these intricate connections form, and why do distinct brain regions exhibit such orderly distribution across the cortex? Instead, genes likely guide the spatial organization of white matter fiber tracts through efficient organizational principles, forming specific embedded patterns in the cortex, said Li Deying, the paper's lead author and a doctoral student at the institute. A key finding of the study, Fan emphasized, is the definition of a "global connectivity topology" across the entire brain, which shows significant correspondence with gene expression.