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. 2020 Jul;23(7):805-808.
doi: 10.1038/s41593-020-0641-7. Epub 2020 Jun 8.

Conservation of brain connectivity and wiring across the mammalian class

Yaniv Assaf  1   2 , Arieli Bouznach  3 , Omri Zomet  4 , Assaf Marom  5 , Yossi Yovel  6   7   8
Affiliations

Conservation of brain connectivity and wiring across the mammalian class

Yaniv Assaf et al. Nat Neurosci. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Over 100 years ago, Ramon y Cajal hypothesized that two forces played a role in the evolution of mammalian brain connectivity: minimizing wiring costs and maximizing conductivity speed. Using diffusion MRI, we reconstructed the brain connectomes of 123 mammalian species. Network analysis revealed that both connectivity and the wiring cost are conserved across mammals. We describe a conservation principle that maintains the overall connectivity: species with fewer interhemispheric connections exhibit better intrahemispheric connectivity.

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