By integrating diverse data sources, researchers unveil how cellular mechanisms influence individual brain connectivity patterns, bridging molecular detail with large-scale brain function.
Study: Integration across biophysical scales identifies molecular and cellular correlates of person-to-person variability in human brain connectivity. Image Credit: Shutterstock AI / Shutterstock.com
In a recent study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers explore associations between biochemical alternations and functional connectivity across brain regions.
Novel approaches to neuroscience research
One of the primary goals of neuroscience is to elucidate the role of microscale components, including protein molecules and cellular structures, in communication between discrete brain regions. To date, the molecular mechanisms involved in the functional connectivity within the brain remain unclear despite molecular and neuroimaging research independently revealing cognition and brain function correlates.
To date, antemortem neuroimaging data and postmortem molecular omics data were collected separately and, rarely, from the same individual, which has prevented the analysis of patient-specific ante- and postmortem data comparisons.
A potential solution for this data gap is acquiring multiple lines of antemortem and postmortem data from a consistent human sample pool. However, the complexity of this approach has prevented the validation of this hypothesis.
About the study
The present study utilized six unique data sources, including ante- and postmortems from elderly volunteers, to identify molecular mechanisms involved in brain connectivity. The study cohort comprised 98 adults, 77% of whom were female, from the Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project (ROSMAP).
While alive, patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and