Greater than the sum of its parts: a review of studies combining structural connectivity and resting-state functional connectivity
Abstract
It is commonly assumed that functional brain connectivity reflects structural brain connectivity. The exact relationship between structure and function, however, might not be straightforward. In this review we aim to examine how our understanding of the relationship between structure and function in the 'resting' brain has advanced over the last several years. We discuss eight articles that directly compare resting-state functional connectivity with structural connectivity and three clinical case studies of patients with limited white matter connections between the cerebral hemispheres. All studies examined show largely convergent results: the strength of resting-state functional connectivity is positively correlated with structural connectivity strength. However, functional connectivity is also observed between regions where there is little or no structural connectivity, which most likely indicates functional correlations mediated by indirect structural connections (i.e. via a third region). As the methodologies for measuring structural and functional connectivity continue to improve and their complementary strengths are applied in parallel, we can expect important advances in our diagnostic and prognostic capacities in diseases like Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, and stroke.
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The close relationship of the DMN and other resting state networks to task-based activation patterns implies an interconnectedness between brain networks and the underlying structural connectivity.
“The close relationship of the DMN, and other resting state networks, to task-based activation patterns 84 implies an interconnect-edness between brain networks and the underlying structural connectivity.27,50”
From Graph theory analysis of complex brain networks: new concepts in brain mapping applied to neurosurgery (2016) · cites this paper as [27]
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- Authors
- Damoiseaux, J. S., & Greicius, M. D.
- Affiliations
- Stanford Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Damoiseaux, Jessica S.
- Venue
- Brain Structure and Function
- Published
- 2009-06-30
- Volume
- 213
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 525-533
- ISSN
- 1863-2653 (ISSN-L)
- 1863-2661
- OpenAlex
- W2078152479
- Cited by
- 897
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 45 · 2021: 57 · 2020: 46 · 2019: 79 · 2018: 59 · 2017: 63 · 2016: 68 · 2015: 69 · 2014: 65 · 2013: 75 · 2012: 54
- FWCI
- 3.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Brain Structure and Function (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- structural connectivity, resting-state functional connectivity, structure-function relationship, white matter connections, interhemispheric connections, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke
- MeSH terms
- Brain, Brain Mapping, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Neural Pathways
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