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Functional contrast across the gray-white matter boundary

Muwei Li (), Lyuan Xu, Soyoung Choi, Yuanyuan Qin, Fei Gao, Kurt G. Schilling, Yurui Gao, Zhongliang Zu, Adam W. Anderson, Zhaohua Ding and John C. Gore
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Muwei Li: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Lyuan Xu: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Soyoung Choi: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Yuanyuan Qin: Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Fei Gao: Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University
Kurt G. Schilling: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Yurui Gao: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Zhongliang Zu: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Adam W. Anderson: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Zhaohua Ding: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
John C. Gore: Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have traditionally focused on gray matter, overlooking white matter despite growing evidence that functional blood oxygenation-level dependent effects also occur there. In particular, functional coupling across the gray-white matter boundary, an interface between local and global processing, remains poorly understood. This study introduces two metrics: gray-white matter functional connectivity, which captures temporal synchrony across the boundary, and gray-white blood oxygenation-level dependent power ratio, which reflects differences in signal amplitude. Gray-white matter functional connectivity aligns with patterns of myelination, long-range connectivity, and sensorimotor organization, suggesting efficient signal transmission. In contrast, the power ratio shows an inverse pattern, with higher values in higher-order regions, possibly reflecting increased metabolic demands in white matter. It also increases with age (8 to 21 years), suggesting developmental shifts in energetic demands. Together, these metrics highlight distinct yet complementary roles of signal fidelity and energy modulation at the gray-white matter boundary.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-61251-w

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