Cited by 213Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesAdvanced Neuroimaging Techniques and ApplicationsComplex Network Analysis Techniques

The contribution of geometry to the human connectome

Open access
Roberts, James A., Perry, Alistair, Lord, Anton R., Roberts, Gloria, Mitchell, Philip B., Smith, Robert E., Calamante, Fernando, Breakspear, Michael·2016·NeuroImage

Abstract

The human connectome is a topologically complex, spatially embedded network. While its topological properties have been richly characterized, the constraints imposed by its spatial embedding are poorly understood. By applying a novel resampling method to tractography data, we show that the brain's spatial embedding makes a major, but not definitive, contribution to the topology of the human connectome. We first identify where the brain's structural hubs would likely be located if geometry was the sole determinant of brain topology. Empirical networks show a widespread shift away from this geometric center toward more peripheral interconnected skeletons in each hemisphere, with discrete clusters around the anterior insula, and the anterior and posterior midline regions of the cortex. A relatively small number of strong inter-hemispheric connections assimilate these intra-hemispheric structures into a rich club, whose connections are locally more clustered but globally longer than predicted by geometry. We also quantify the extent to which the segregation, integration, and modularity of the human brain are passively inherited from its geometry. These analyses reveal novel insights into the influence of spatial geometry on the human connectome, highlighting specific topological features that likely confer functional advantages but carry an additional metabolic cost.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.09.009

Cites

81 of 81 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Empirical human tractography graphs exhibit a more peripheral hub network structure than predicted by their corresponding geometric surrogate graphs.

    “For example, Roberts et al. (2016) demonstrated that empirical human tractography graphs exhibit a more peripheral hub network structure than predicted by their corresponding geometric surrogate graphs, similar to our tracer results in Fig. 6 and in contrast to what we observed with tractography networks.”
  • There is a true falloff of both structural and functional connectivity with distance in a number of mammalian species.

    “true falloff of both structural and functional connectivity with distance has been shown with high-resolution invasive imaging as well as tractography in a number of mammalian species (Horvát et al., 2016; Markov et al., 2013; Perinelli et al., 2019; Roberts et al., 2016; Rubinov et al., 2015; Supekar et al., 2009).”
  • The brain is a spatially embedded network with properties partially inherited from geometry.

    “the brain is itself a spatially embedded network with properties partially inherited from geometry: there is a metabolic wiring cost in the establishment of long-range connections”
  • The human brain places its strongest nodes further into geometrically peripheral regions than would be expected by weight-distance effects alone.

    “Previous work with human tractography datasets (Roberts et al., 2016) has revealed that the human brain places its strongest nodes further into geometrically peripheral regions than would be expected by weight-distance effects alone.”
  • The number of streamlines (NOS) is a widely used measure to quantify connectivity strength.

    “The number of streamlines (NOS) is one widely used measure to quantify the connectivity strength (Hagmann et al., 2008b; Ingalhalikar et al., 2014; Roberts et al., 2016; Sporns et al., 2005; van Dellen et al., 2018).”

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Roberts, J. A., Perry, A., Lord, A. R., Roberts, G., Mitchell, P. B., Smith, R. E., Calamante, F., & Breakspear, M.
Affiliations
  • QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (AU)
  • Black Dog Institute (AU)
  • Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (AU)
  • The University of Melbourne (AU)
Corresponding author
Roberts, James A.
Venue
NeuroImage
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2016-01
Volume
124
Issue
Pt A
Pages
379-393
ISSN
1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1449393047
Cited by
213
References
81
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 2
FWCI
10.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UNSWorks (UNSW Sydney) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • UNSWorks (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • National Health and Medical Research Council (1037196, 628952)
  • Australian Research Council (CE140100007, FT110100726)
  • Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Grant
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
human connectome, brain network topology, spatial embedding, brain geometry, rich club, integration and segregation, network modularity, anterior insula, metabolic cost
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Algorithms, Brain, Data Interpretation, Statistical, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Male, Models, Neurological, Neural Pathways, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Mathematical Concepts, Young Adult, Connectome

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review