A Population-Based Atlas of the Macroscale Structural Connectome in the Human Brain

A comprehensive map of the structural connectome in the human brain has been a coveted resource for understanding how brain networks function under normal and pathological conditions. Here we report an expert-vetted, population-based atlas of the structural connectome derived from diffusion MRI data (N=842). This was achieved by creating a high-resolution template of diffusion patterns averaged across individual subjects and using tractography to generate 550,000 trajectories of representative white matter fascicles. The trajectories were clustered and labeled by a team of experienced neuroanatomists. Multi-level network topology was illustrated by connectograms of the whole brain, subdivisions in the association, projection, and commissural pathways, and individual fiber bundles. This atlas of the structural connectome represents normative neuroanatomical organization of human brain white matter, complimentary to traditional histologically-derived and voxel-based white matter atlases, allowing for better modeling and simulation of brain connectivity for future connectomic studies as well as clinical and educational applications.

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