White matter connections of human ventral temporal cortex are organized by cytoarchitecture, eccentricity and category-selectivity from birth

Emily Kubota (), Xiaoqian Yan, Sarah Tung, Bella Fascendini, Christina Tyagi, Sophie Duhameau, Danya Ortiz, Mareike Grotheer, Vaidehi S. Natu, Boris Keil and Kalanit Grill-Spector
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Emily Kubota: Stanford University
Xiaoqian Yan: Fudan University
Sarah Tung: Stanford University
Bella Fascendini: Princeton University
Christina Tyagi: Stanford University
Sophie Duhameau: Stanford University
Danya Ortiz: Stanford University
Mareike Grotheer: Philipps-Universität Marburg
Vaidehi S. Natu: Stanford University
Boris Keil: Universities of Marburg, Giessen and Darmstadt
Kalanit Grill-Spector: Stanford University

Nature Human Behaviour, 2025, vol. 9, issue 5, 955-970

Abstract: Abstract Category-selective regions in ventral temporal cortex (VTC) have a consistent anatomical organization, which is hypothesized to be scaffolded by white matter connections. However, it is unknown how white matter connections are organized from birth. Here we scanned newborn to 6-month-old infants and adults to determine the organization of the white matter connections of VTC. We find that white matter connections are organized by cytoarchitecture, eccentricity and category from birth. Connectivity profiles of functional regions in the same cytoarchitectonic area are similar from birth and develop in parallel, with decreases in endpoint connectivity to lateral occipital, parietal and somatosensory cortex, and increases in connectivity to lateral prefrontal cortex. In addition, connections between VTC and early visual cortex are organized topographically by eccentricity bands and predict eccentricity biases in VTC. These data show that there are both innate organizing principles of white matter connections of VTC, and capacity for white matter connections to change over development.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-025-02116-6

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