Regions and Connections: Complementary Approaches to Characterize Brain Organization and Function. (April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Horien, Corey; Greene, Abigail S.; Constable, R. Todd; Scheinost, Dustin
• Is Part Of: Neuroscientist. Volume 26:Number 2(2020)
• Page Start: 117
• Page End: 133
• Publication Date: 2020-04
• Subjects: connectomics -- fMRI -- functional magnetic resonance imaging -- segregation -- integration -- predictive modeling; Neurosciences -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Neurobiology -- Periodicals; 616.8005
• DOI: 10.1177/1073858419860115
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1073-8584

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging has proved to be a powerful tool to characterize spatiotemporal patterns of human brain activity. Analysis methods broadly fall into two camps: those summarizing properties of a region and those measuring interactions among regions. Here we pose an unappreciated question in the field: What are the strengths and limitations of each approach to study fundamental neural processes? We explore the relative utility of region- and connection-based measures in the context of three topics of interest: neurobiological relevance, brain-behavior relationships, and individual differences in brain organization. In each section, we offer illustrative examples. We hope that this discussion offers a novel and useful framework to support efforts to better understand the macroscale functional organization of the brain and how it relates to behavior.