Linking Macroscale Graph Analytical Organization to Microscale Neuroarchitectonics in the Macaque Connectome

Macroscale connectivity of the mammalian brain has been shown to display several characteristics of an efficient communication network architecture. In parallel, at the microscopic scale, histological studies have extensively revealed large interregional variation in cortical neural architectonics. However, how these two “scales” of cerebrum organization are linked remains an open question. Collating and combining data across multiple studies on the cortical cytoarchitecture of the macaque cortex with information on macroscale anatomical wiring derived from tract tracing studies, this study focuses on examining the interplay between macroscale organization of the macaque connectome and microscale cortical neuronal architecture. Our findings show that both macroscale degree as well as the topological role in the overall network are related to the level of neuronal complexity of cortical regions at the microscale, showing (among several effects) a positive overall association between macroscale degree and metrics of microscale pyramidal complexity. Macroscale hub regions, together forming a densely interconnected “rich club,” are noted to display a high level of neuronal complexity, findings supportive of a high level of integrative neuronal processes to occur in these regions. Together, we report on cross-scale observations that jointly suggest that a region's microscale neuronal architecture is tuned to its role in the global brain network.