The hierarchical organization of the precuneus captured by functional gradients

作者：Ping Jiang, Shunshun Cui, Shanwen Yao, Huanhuan Cai, Jiajia Zhu, Yongqiang Yu · 发表于：Brain Structure and Function · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1007/s00429-023-02672-5 · 被引用次数：16 · 研究领域：Functional Brain Connectivity Studies、Neural dynamics and brain function、Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications

The precuneus shows considerable heterogeneity in multiple dimensions including anatomy, function, and involvement in brain disorders. Leveraging the state-of-the-art functional gradient approach, we aimed to investigate the hierarchical organization of the precuneus, which may hold promise for a unified understanding of precuneus heterogeneity. Resting-state functional MRI data from 793 healthy individuals were used to discover and validate functional gradients of the precuneus, which were calculated based on the voxel-wise precuneus-to-cerebrum functional connectivity patterns. Then, we further explored the potential relationships of the precuneus functional gradients with cortical morphology, intrinsic geometry, canonical functional networks, and behavioral domains. We found that the precuneus principal and secondary gradients showed dorsoanterior-ventral and ventroposterior-dorsal organizations, respectively. Concurrently, the principal gradient was associated with cortical morphology, and both the principal and secondary gradients showed geometric distance dependence. Importantly, precuneus functional subdivisions corresponding to canonical functional networks (behavioral domains) were distributed along both gradients in a hierarchical manner, i.e., from the sensorimotor network (somatic movement and sensation) at one extreme to the default mode network (abstract cognitive functions) at the other extreme for the principal gradient and from the visual network (vision) at ...