The cerebral cortex has a central clearinghouse of activity below the crown of the head that is widely connected to more-specialized regions in a large network similar to a subway map, researchers at University of Lausanne, Harvard, and Indiana University have found.

They used a new technique called diffusion spectrum imaging, which allows scientists to estimate the density and orientation of the connections running through specific brain locations.

The research provides the most complete rough draft to date of the cortex’s electrical architecture, the cluster of interconnected nodes and hubs that help guide thinking and behavior.

Continued research should help produce a complete and detailed neural wiring diagram, the “connectome” of the brain, which could be useful in simulating activation patterns seen in clinical cases.

See also:

Mapping the Structural Core of Human Cerebral Cortex