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Cortical 3-hinges could serve as hubs in cortico-cortical connective network

Tuo Zhang,Xiao Li,Xi Jiang,Fangfei Ge,Shu Zhang,Lin Zhao,Huan Liu,Ying Huang,Xianqiao Wang,Jian Yang,Lei Guo,Xiaoping P. Hu,Tianming Liu

Published 2020 in Brain Imaging and Behavior

ABSTRACT

Mapping the relation between cortical convolution and structural/functional brain architectures could provide deep insights into the mechanisms of brain development, evolution and diseases. In our previous studies, we found a unique gyral folding pattern, termed a 3-hinge, which was defined as the conjunction of three gyral crests. The uniqueness of the 3-hinge was evidenced by its thicker cortex and stronger fiber connections than other gyral regions. However, the role that 3-hinges play in cortico-cortical connective architecture remains unclear. To this end, we conducted MRI studies by constructing structural cortico-cortical connective networks based on a fine-granular cortical parcellation, the parcels of which were automatically labeled as 3-hinge, 2-hinge (ordinary gyrus) or sulcus. On human brains, 3-hinges possess significantly higher degrees, strengths and betweennesses than 2-hinges, suggesting that 3-hinges could serve more like hubs in the cortico-cortical connective network. This hypothesis gains supports from human functional network analyses, in which 3-hinges are involved in more global functional networks than ordinary gyri. In addition, 3-hinges could serve as ‘connector’ hubs rather than ‘provincial’ hubs and they account for a dominant proportion of nodes in the high-level ‘backbone’ of the network. These structural results are reproduced on chimpanzee and macaque brains, while the roles of 3-hinges as hubs become more pronounced in higher order primates. Our new findings could provide a new window to the relation between cortical convolution, anatomical connection and brain function.

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