Grant: Project Grant

The relationship between structure and function is a central concept in neuroscience. The complex network of synaptic projections forms a hierarchy of nested and increasingly polyfunctional neural circuits that support perception, cognition and action. Thus, the coupling between structure and function provides unique information about how the brain transmits and integrates information. Despite its fundamental importance, structure-function coupling is poorly understood and under-utilized as a phenotype. Here we propose to take the next steps toward understanding network-level structure-function relationships by systematically studying individual variability and behaviour, normative lifespan variability, and regional heterogeneity. The proposed project will comprehensively benchmark structure-function coupling as a novel brain phenotype for basic and clinical research. Individual differences in structure-function coupling will provide a fundamentally new opportunity to quantify the effects of manipulations and perturbations, such as cognitive tasks, development and aging, neurological and psychiatric diseases, lesions, and stimulation. By annotating brain networks with micro-architectural attributes, we will identify molecular and cellular determinants of structure-function coupling, conceptually bridging micro- and macroscale levels of analysis.