Mapping the coupling between tract reachability and cortical geometry of the human brain

Deying Li, Andrew Zalesky, Yufan Wang, Haiyan Wang, Liang Ma, Luqi Cheng, Tobias Banaschewski, Gareth J. Barker, Arun L. W. Bokde, Rüdiger Brühl, Sylvane Desrivières, Herta Flor, Hugh Garavan, Penny Gowland, Antoine Grigis, Andreas Heinz, Hervé Lemaître, Jean-Luc Martinot, Marie-Laure Paillère Martinot, Eric Artiges, Frauke Nees, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Luise Poustka, Michael N. Smolka, Nilakshi Vaidya, Henrik Walter, Robert Whelan, Gunter Schumann, Tianye Jia, Congying Chu () and Lingzhong Fan ()
Additional contact information
Deying Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Andrew Zalesky: The University of Melbourne
Yufan Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Haiyan Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Liang Ma: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Luqi Cheng: Guilin University of Electronic Technology
Tobias Banaschewski: Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG)
Gareth J. Barker: King’s College London
Arun L. W. Bokde: Trinity College Dublin
Rüdiger Brühl: Braunschweig and Berlin
Sylvane Desrivières: King’s College London
Herta Flor: Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University
Hugh Garavan: University of Vermont
Penny Gowland: University Park
Antoine Grigis: Université Paris-Saclay
Andreas Heinz: Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health
Hervé Lemaître: Université Paris-Saclay
Jean-Luc Martinot: Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay; Centre Borelli CNRS 9010
Marie-Laure Paillère Martinot: Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay; Centre Borelli CNRS 9010
Eric Artiges: Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay; Centre Borelli CNRS 9010
Frauke Nees: Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG)
Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos: University of Mannheim
Luise Poustka: University Hospital Heidelberg
Michael N. Smolka: Technische Universität Dresden
Nilakshi Vaidya: Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Henrik Walter: Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health
Robert Whelan: Trinity College Dublin
Gunter Schumann: Technische Universität Dresden
Tianye Jia: Fudan University
Congying Chu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lingzhong Fan: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Abstract The study of cortical geometry and connectivity is prevalent in human brain research. However, these two aspects of brain structure are usually examined separately, leaving the essential connections between the brain’s folding patterns and white matter connectivity unexplored. In this study, we aim to elucidate the fundamental links between cortical geometry and white matter tract connectivity. We develop the concept of tract-geometry coupling (TGC) by optimizing the alignment between tract connectivity to the cortex and multiscale cortical geometry. We confirm in two independent datasets that cortical geometry reliably characterizes tract reachability, and that TGC demonstrates high test-retest reliability and individual-specificity. Interestingly, low-frequency TGC is more heritable and behaviorally informative. Finally, we find that TGC can reproduce task-evoked cortical activation patterns and exhibits non-uniform maturation during youth. Collectively, our study provides an approach to mapping cortical geometry-connectivity coupling, highlighting how these two aspects jointly shape the connected brain.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62812-9

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