Functional connectivity hubs in the human brain
Open accessAbstract
Brain networks appear to have few and well localized regions with high functional connectivity density (hubs) for fast integration of neural processing, and their dysfunction could contribute to neuropsychiatric diseases. However the variability in the distribution of these brain hubs is unknown due in part to the overwhelming computational demands associated to their localization. Recently we developed a fast algorithm to map the local functional connectivity density (lFCD). Here we extend our method to map the global density (gFDC) taking advantage of parallel computing. We mapped the gFCD in the brain of 1031 subjects from the 1000 Functional Connectomes project and show that the strongest hubs are located in regions of the default mode network (DMN) and in sensory cortices, whereas subcortical regions exhibited the weakest hubs. The strongest hubs were consistently located in ventral precuneus/cingulate gyrus (previously identified by other analytical methods including lFCD) and in primary visual cortex (BA 17/18), which highlights their centrality to resting connectivity networks. In contrast and after rescaling, hubs in prefrontal regions had lower gFCD than lFCD, which suggests that their local functional connectivity (as opposed to long-range connectivity) prevails in the resting state. The power scaling of the probability distribution of gFCD hubs (as for lFCD) was consistent across research centers further corroborating the "scale-free" topology of brain networks. Within and between-subject variability for gFCD were twice than that for lFCD (20% vs. 12% and 84% vs. 34%, respectively) suggesting that gFCD is more sensitive to individual differences in functional connectivity.
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The hub-like organization of the DMN may enable it to connect and influence other networks, thereby facilitating global state changes.
“The hub-like organization, characterized by a short path length and local and global hubs in the PCC, 85,86 may enable the DMN to connect and influence other networks, thereby facilitating global state changes.”
From 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis. (2023) · cites this paper as [85]
The Discussion (Global hubs versus local hubs; page unavailable) identifies long-range hubs in the DMN and says posterior hubs may support fast communication with the rest of the brain. The Discussion (Conclusion; page unavailable) identifies the precuneus/posterior cingulate as a prominent long-range hub. Our copy does not say that the DMN influences other networks or facilitates global state changes. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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- Authors
- Tomasi, D., & Volkow, N. D.
- Affiliations
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (US)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (US)
- Corresponding author
- Tomasi, Dardo
- Venue
- NeuroImage
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-08
- Volume
- 57
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 908-917
- ISSN
- 1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3129362
- OpenAlex
- W1967628934
- Cited by
- 367
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 32 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 18
- FWCI
- 13.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2RO1AA09481)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Complex Network Analysis Techniques
- Keywords
- resting-state brain networks, default mode network, scale-free networks, primary visual cortex, precuneus, cingulate gyrus, prefrontal cortex, interindividual variability, parallel algorithms
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Algorithms, Brain, Brain Mapping, Female, Humans, Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Neural Pathways, Young Adult
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