Imaging structural and functional connectivity: towards a unified definition of human brain organization?

Abstract

Separately, magnetic resonance tractography and functional MRI connectivity have both brought new insights into brain organization and the impact of injuries. The small-world topology of structural and functional human brain networks offers a common framework to merge structural and functional imaging as well as dynamical data from electrophysiology that might allow a comprehensive definition of the brain organization and plasticity.

The neuroanatomy of bilingualism: how to turn a hazy view into the full picture

“…In summary, both functional and structural connectivity studies consistently identified the left IFG, a region related to cognitive/language control, and showed how this region is related to a more extended set of regions. These studies are particularly useful for studying large-scale structural and functional connectivity plasticity associated with many cognitive functions (Guye, Bartolomei & Ranjeva, 2008), such as language and executive functioning, a topic that is largely unexplored. The search for differences between bilinguals and monolinguals cannot be limited to locating different structures but must also look at patterns of functional and structural connectivity.…”

Confirming white matter fMRI activation in the corpus callosum: Co-localization with DTI tractography

“…White matter accounts for 40-45% of brain parenchyma (e.g., Black, 2007) and it is known that connections play a critical role in brain function. Furthermore, dysfunctions in brain connections have been implicated in numerous neurological and psychiatric diseases (e.g., [Bassett and Bullmore, 2009] and [Guye et al, 2008]). Given this, white matter fMRI has the potential be applied to answer highly relevant basic neuroscience questions (i.e., studying brain connectivity).…”

Neuroimaging in Mitochondrial Disorders

“…Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and DTI, for example, can be used to study microstructural variance in white matter fiber tracts [14,15], whereas MRS is used to measure brain metabolism in static and dynamic models [16], namely lactate and N-acetylasparate levels in patients with mitochondrial disorders. Functional MRI can be used to study the neural nodes and networks underlying cognitive operations [17] that may be damaged in patients with mitochondrial disorders and would be done best in the stable state to assess degree of damage and can be repeated after an intervention or to track disease progression, mainly on a research basis. Using these various methods, 1 can probe focal, regional, and global neuropathological sequelae, and monitor disease progression and response to therapies.…”