Stress landscape of folding brain serves as a map for axonal pathfinding
Abstract Understanding the mechanics linking cortical folding and brain connectivity is crucial for both healthy and abnormal brain development. Despite the importance of this relationship, existing models fail to explain how growing axon bundles navigate the stress field within a folding brain or h...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56362-3 |
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| _version_ | 1832571556762484736 |
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| author | Akbar Solhtalab Ali H. Foroughi Lana Pierotich Mir Jalil Razavi |
| author_facet | Akbar Solhtalab Ali H. Foroughi Lana Pierotich Mir Jalil Razavi |
| author_sort | Akbar Solhtalab |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Understanding the mechanics linking cortical folding and brain connectivity is crucial for both healthy and abnormal brain development. Despite the importance of this relationship, existing models fail to explain how growing axon bundles navigate the stress field within a folding brain or how this bidirectional and dynamic interaction shapes the resulting surface morphologies and connectivity patterns. Here, we propose the concept of “axon reorientation” and formulate a mechanical model to uncover the dynamic multiscale mechanics of the linkages between cortical folding and connectivity development. Simulations incorporating axon bundle reorientation and stress-induced growth reveal potential mechanical mechanisms that lead to higher axon bundle density in gyri (ridges) compared to sulci (valleys). In particular, the connectivity patterning resulting from cortical folding exhibits a strong dependence on the growth rate and mechanical properties of the navigating axon bundles. Model predictions are supported by in vivo diffusion tensor imaging of the human brain. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f6015c99cc844675b3add4f8df8afecb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-f6015c99cc844675b3add4f8df8afecb2025-02-02T12:31:37ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116112210.1038/s41467-025-56362-3Stress landscape of folding brain serves as a map for axonal pathfindingAkbar Solhtalab0Ali H. Foroughi1Lana Pierotich2Mir Jalil Razavi3Department of Mechanical Engineering, State University of New York at BinghamtonDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, State University of New York at BinghamtonDivision of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, State University of New York at BinghamtonAbstract Understanding the mechanics linking cortical folding and brain connectivity is crucial for both healthy and abnormal brain development. Despite the importance of this relationship, existing models fail to explain how growing axon bundles navigate the stress field within a folding brain or how this bidirectional and dynamic interaction shapes the resulting surface morphologies and connectivity patterns. Here, we propose the concept of “axon reorientation” and formulate a mechanical model to uncover the dynamic multiscale mechanics of the linkages between cortical folding and connectivity development. Simulations incorporating axon bundle reorientation and stress-induced growth reveal potential mechanical mechanisms that lead to higher axon bundle density in gyri (ridges) compared to sulci (valleys). In particular, the connectivity patterning resulting from cortical folding exhibits a strong dependence on the growth rate and mechanical properties of the navigating axon bundles. Model predictions are supported by in vivo diffusion tensor imaging of the human brain.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56362-3 |
| spellingShingle | Akbar Solhtalab Ali H. Foroughi Lana Pierotich Mir Jalil Razavi Stress landscape of folding brain serves as a map for axonal pathfinding Nature Communications |
| title | Stress landscape of folding brain serves as a map for axonal pathfinding |
| title_full | Stress landscape of folding brain serves as a map for axonal pathfinding |
| title_fullStr | Stress landscape of folding brain serves as a map for axonal pathfinding |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stress landscape of folding brain serves as a map for axonal pathfinding |
| title_short | Stress landscape of folding brain serves as a map for axonal pathfinding |
| title_sort | stress landscape of folding brain serves as a map for axonal pathfinding |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56362-3 |
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