加拿大麦吉尔大学Bratislav Misic团队近期取得重要工作进展，他们研究提出了一种整合脑干和大脑皮层的功能架构。相关研究成果2024年10月16日在线发表于《自然—神经科学》杂志上。

据介绍，脑干是中枢神经系统的基本组成部分，但它通常被排除在体内人脑绘图工作之外，从而无法完全了解脑干如何影响皮质功能。

研究人员使用高分辨率7-Tesla功能性磁共振成像来推导一个功能性连接组，该连接组包括皮质和58个脑干核，横跨中脑、桥脑和髓质。研究人员在脑干中发现了一组紧凑的整合中枢，与大脑皮层广泛连接。

脑干和大脑皮层之间的连接模式表现为神经生理学振荡节律、认知功能特化模式和单峰-跨模态功能层次。皮质功能地形图和脑干核团之间的这种持续对齐，是由多种神经递质受体和转运蛋白的空间排列决定的。研究人员使用来自同一参与者的3-Tesla数据复制了所有发现。

总之，这一研究表明，皮质活动的多种组织特征可以追溯到脑干。

附：英文原文

Title: Integrating brainstem and cortical functional architectures

Author: Hansen, Justine Y., Cauzzo, Simone, Singh, Kavita, Garca-Gomar, Mara Guadalupe, Shine, James M., Bianciardi, Marta, Misic, Bratislav

Issue&Volume: 2024-10-16

Abstract: The brainstem is a fundamental component of the central nervous system, yet it is typically excluded from in vivo human brain mapping efforts, precluding a complete understanding of how the brainstem influences cortical function. In this study, we used high-resolution 7-Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging to derive a functional connectome encompassing cortex and 58 brainstem nuclei spanning the midbrain, pons and medulla. We identified a compact set of integrative hubs in the brainstem with widespread connectivity with cerebral cortex. Patterns of connectivity between brainstem and cerebral cortex manifest as neurophysiological oscillatory rhythms, patterns of cognitive functional specialization and the unimodal–transmodal functional hierarchy. This persistent alignment between cortical functional topographies and brainstem nuclei is shaped by the spatial arrangement of multiple neurotransmitter receptors and transporters. We replicated all findings using 3-Tesla data from the same participants. Collectively, this work demonstrates that multiple organizational features of cortical activity can be traced back to the brainstem.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01787-0

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01787-0