In particular, she introduced the structural-decoupling index, based on measures of diffusion and functional magnetic resonance imaging, to quantify the structure-function coupling strength across the brain. This revealed that the degree of structure-function coupling varies across the brain along a gradient spanning from areas related to lower-level behavioral functions (for example primary sensory regions) – which appear more coupled with structure – to higher-level cognitive ones (for instance, memory, emotions) – appearing instead more often decoupled. The spatial distribution of this gradient nicely matches other known brain properties (for instance from genetic, functional connectivity and temporal hierarchy studies).
These findings, which have been published in Nature Communications, open new avenues of research to investigate how this structure-function relationship is altered during specific tasks, or by neurological disease or disorder.
Download the full Nature Communications article here (PDF)
Preti, G. & Van De Ville, D.
Decoupling of Brain Function from Structure Reveals Regional Behavioral Specialization in Humans
Nature Communications, 10, article 4747, 2019