Performing group-level functional image analyses based on homologous functional regions mapped in individuals

Functional MRI (fMRI) studies have traditionally relied on intersubject normalization based on global brain morphology, which cannot establish proper functional correspondence between subjects due to substantial intersubject variability in functional organization. Here, we reliably identified a set of discrete, homologous functional regions in individuals to improve intersubject alignment of fMRI data. These functional regions demonstrated marked intersubject variability in size, position, and connectivity. We found that previously reported intersubject variability in functional connectivity maps could be partially explained by variability in size and position of the functional regions. Importantly, individual differences in network topography are associated with individual differences in task-evoked activations, suggesting that these individually specified regions may serve as the localizer to improve the alignment of task-fMRI data. We demonstrated that aligning task-fMRI data using the regions derived from resting state fMRI may lead to increased statistical power of task-fMRI analyses. In addition, resting state functional connectivity among these homologous regions is able to capture the idiosyncrasies of subjects and better predict fluid intelligence (gF) than connectivity measures derived from group-level brain atlases. Critically, we showed that not only the connectivity but also the size and position of functional regions are related to human behavior. Collectively, these findings suggest that identifying homologous functional regions across individuals can benefit a wide range of studies in the investigation of connectivity, task activation, and brain-behavior associations. Author summary No two individuals are alike. The size, shape, position, and connectivity patterns of brain functional regions can vary drastically between individuals. While interindividual differences in functional organization are well recognized, to date, standard procedures for functional neuroimaging research still rely on aligning different subjects' data to a nominal average brain based on global brain morphology. We developed an approach to reliably identify homologous functional regions in each individual and demonstrated that aligning data based on these homologous functional regions can significantly improve the study of resting state functional connectivity, task-fMRI activations, and brain-behavior associations. Moreover, we showed that individual differences in size, position, and connectivity of brain functional regions are dissociable, and each can provide nonredundant information in explaining human behavior

Topological Fractionation of Resting-State Networks

Exploring topological properties of human brain network has become an exciting topic in neuroscience research. Large-scale structural and functional brain networks both exhibit a small-world topology, which is evidence for global and local parallel information processing. Meanwhile, resting state networks (RSNs) underlying specific biological functions have provided insights into how intrinsic functional architecture influences cognitive and perceptual information processing. However, topological properties of single RSNs remain poorly understood. Here, we have two hypotheses: i) each RSN also has optimized small-world architecture; ii) topological properties of RSNs related to perceptual and higher cognitive processes are different. To test these hypotheses, we investigated the topological properties of the default-mode, dorsal attention, central-executive, somato-motor, visual and auditory networks derived from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We found small-world topology in each RSN. Furthermore, small-world properties of cognitive networks were higher than those of perceptual networks. Our findings are the first to demonstrate a topological fractionation between perceptual and higher cognitive networks. Our approach may be useful for clinical research, especially for diseases that show selective abnormal connectivity in specific brain networks

Resting-State Brain Organization Revealed by Functional Covariance Networks

BACKGROUND: Brain network studies using techniques of intrinsic connectivity network based on fMRI time series (TS-ICN) and structural covariance network (SCN) have mapped out functional and structural organization of human brain at respective time scales. However, there lacks a meso-time-scale network to bridge the ICN and SCN and get insights of brain functional organization. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We proposed a functional covariance network (FCN) method by measuring the covariance of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in BOLD signals across subjects, and compared the patterns of ALFF-FCNs with the TS-ICNs and SCNs by mapping the brain networks of default network, task-positive network and sensory networks. We demonstrated large overlap among FCNs, ICNs and SCNs and modular nature in FCNs and ICNs by using conjunctional analysis. Most interestingly, FCN analysis showed a network dichotomy consisting of anti-correlated high-level cognitive system and low-level perceptive system, which is a novel finding different from the ICN dichotomy consisting of the default-mode network and the task-positive network. CONCLUSION: The current study proposed an ALFF-FCN approach to measure the interregional correlation of brain activity responding to short periods of state, and revealed novel organization patterns of resting-state brain activity from an intermediate time scale

Quaternary folding in the south piedmont of central segment of Tianshan Mountains

The Tianshan Mountains are an important active structural belt in the interior of Eurasia. By integrated methods of surface geology survey and interpretation of seismic profiles, we distinguish fold scarps located at the south limb of the Kuqatawu anticline and the north limb of the Dongqiulitag anticline in the Kuqa rejuvenation foreland thrust belt, south piedmont of central segment of the Tian- shan Mountains. Fold scarp is a newly found structural phenomenon. Because of the bend of thrust plane and the movement of hanging wall above the thrust plane, the origi- nal horizontal deposits of hanging wall and their surface become a monocline structure, resulting from the separating and migration of the active and fixed axial surfaces. Meas- uring the geometry of fold scarp and using the data of age of the deformed deposits, the crustal shortening rate resulting from the deeply seated subsurface thrust is calculated. The crustal shortening rate reflected by the fold scarp located at the north limb of the Dngqiulitag anticline is (1␣0.1) mm/a. The fold scarps of the Dongqiulitag anticline and the Ku- qatawu anticline identify that the deformation process of the crustal compressive structures in the Kuqa area extends into the Late Quaternary

The Quaternary fault in Jiamu area, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

peer reviewedThe Quaternary Tailan River fault has been found in the Tianshan foothills area, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is the recent boundary fault of the Tarim Basin coupling with the West Tianshan Mountains. In the light of measurement data of the slip which cuts the Quaternary deposits of different ages, the Quaternary kine- matic figures of the Tailan River fault are estimated as fol- lows: crustal shortening 3.7 km and shortening rate 1.59 mm/a, uplift of Tianshan Mountains 1.34 km and uplift rate 0.56 mm/a, and additional relief of 900 m. Considering the contribution of the Gumubiezi anticline close to the south of the Tailan River fault, the Quaternary crustal shortening and shortening rate of the Jiamu area are 4.8 km and 2 mm/a respectively. The above-mentioned data coincide with the crustal shortening rate calculated from the growth strata in the Kuqa area, as well as the GPS measurements in the Lake Issyk area and the Korla-Urumqi area, reflecting the fast thrusting period within the shortening tectonic processes of the rejuvenation foreland basin in front of the southern foothill of the West Tianshan Mountains since Neogene