Overcoming Methodological Challenges to Gain Insight on Human Subcortical Functional Connectivity
Josephine M. Groot, Steven Miletic, Scott J. S. Isherwood, Desmond H. Y. Tse, Sarah Habli, et al.
(see pages 6609–6618)
Research has reliably demonstrated that cortical networks converge onto cortical hubs, which transmit the signals from these networks with high efficiency to other brain regions. Yet investigations into the organization of subcortical brain structures are falling behind, though the roles of these regions in brain health and cognition are known to be substantial. Herein, Groot et al. overcame challenges in visualizing the subcortex via conventional methodology by taking advantage of recent advances in subcortical atlasing and ultra-high-field imaging. They used these data to inform their exploration into the functional architecture of 14 regions of the human subcortex, of which some are rarely investigated. Their data-driven analysis revealed that spontaneous subcortical activity is functionally heterogeneous and can be organized into subgroups differentially correlating with distinct cortical network activity. Notably, the authors acknowledged challenges that made measuring subcortical activity more difficult, including deeper and more oddly shaped structures as well as shallower regions susceptible to signal bleed from cortical regions, advising readers to be cautious in their interpretations of the findings. But ultimately, these results advance our understanding of how subcortical functional connectivity may facilitate integrative processing and will inform future research on the contributions of subcortical networks to different types of cognition, especially as they relate to disease states.
Topography of network echoes within the heteromodal subcortical structures.
Footnotes
This Week in The Journal was written by Paige McKeon