人类视觉皮层存在两条不同的皮层结构梯度，可预测视觉表征并与毕生行为相关
Distinct gradients of cortical architecture capture visual representations and behavior across the lifespan
研究以人类视觉皮层为对象，利用非侵入性 MRI 可测的皮层厚度与髓鞘含量等结构指标，识别出两条皮层结构梯度：一条是细胞构筑与髓鞘构筑趋于一致，另一条是二者出现分离。这两条梯度共同支撑视觉皮层的结构与功能拓扑，甚至能预测新的视觉表征的存在。两条梯度在视觉行为相关性和毕生发展轨迹上表现不同。作者据此提出，结构梯度可作为反映人脑功能组织与个体发育程序的可测量指纹，为理解人类皮层提供更通用的框架。
来源：eLife · doi.org
The microstructure of cells within the human cerebral cortex varies across the cortical ribbon, where changes in cytoarchitecture and myeloarchitecture are thought to endow each region of the cortex with its unique function. While fine-scale relative to a cell, these changes at the population level impact architectural properties of the cortex measurable in vivo by noninvasive MRI, such as the thickness and myelin content of the cortex. This raises the question of whether or not we can use these in vivo architectural measures to understand cortical organization, function, and development more broadly. Using the human visual cortex as a test bed, we demonstrated two architectural gradients, one in which cytoarchitecture and myeloarchitecture converge and another in which they diverge. These two gradients underlie the structural and functional topography of the visual cortex, even predicting the presence of new visual representations. Moreover, the two gradients show distinct visual behavior relevance and lifespan trajectory. These findings provide a more general framework for understanding the human cortex, showing that architectural gradients are a measurable fingerprint of functional organization and ontogenetic routines in the human brain.