Mapping neurotransmitter systems to the structural and functional organization of the human neocortex
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Authors
Hansen, Justine Y
Shafiei, Golia
Markello, Ross D
Smart, Kelly
Cox, Sylvia ML
Norgaard, Martin
Beliveau, Vincent
Wu, Yanjun
Gallezot, Jean-Dominique
Aumont, Étienne
Servaes, Stijn
G. Scala, Stephanie
M. DuBois, Jonathan
Wainstein, Gabriel
Bezgin, Gleb
Funck, Thomas
W. Schmitz, Taylor
Spreng, R Nathan
Galovic, Marian
J. Koepp, Matthias
S. Duncan, John
Fryer, Tim
Aigbirhio, Franklin
Misic, Bratislav
Journal Title
Nature Neuroscience
ISSN
1097-6256
Publisher
Nature Research
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Hansen, J. Y., Shafiei, G., Markello, R. D., Smart, K., Cox, S. M., Norgaard, M., Coles, J., et al. Mapping neurotransmitter systems to the structural and functional organization of the human neocortex. Nature Neuroscience https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.85417
Abstract
Neurotransmitter receptors support the propagation of signals in the human brain. How receptor systems
are situated within macroscale neuroanatomy and how they shape emergent function remains
poorly understood, and there exists no comprehensive atlas of receptors. Here we collate positron
emission tomography data from >1200 healthy individuals to construct a whole-brain 3-D normative
atlas of 19 receptors and transporters across 9 different neurotransmitter systems. We find that receptor
profiles align with structural connectivity and mediate function, including neurophysiological oscillatory
dynamics and resting state hemodynamic functional connectivity. Using the Neurosynth cognitive
atlas, we uncover a topographic gradient of overlapping receptor distributions that separates extrinsic
and intrinsic psychological processes. Finally, we find both expected and novel associations between
receptor distributions and cortical abnormality patterns across 13 disorders. We replicate all findings
in an independently collected autoradiography dataset. This work demonstrates how chemoarchitecture
shapes brain structure and function, providing a new direction for studying multi-scale brain
organization.
Sponsorship
For the Cambridge authors (Coles, Fryer & Aigbirhio):
This work was funded by an MRC PET Neuroscience programme grant (Training and Novel Probes Programme in PET Neurochemistry - MR/K02308X/1) and by an MRC Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme grant (MR/L013215/1).
This research in Cambridge was supported by the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (BRC-1215-20014). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
JPC was supported by a British Journal of Anaesthesia/Royal College of Anaesthetists grant from the National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia.
Funder references
Medical Research Council (MR/K02308X/1)
Medical Research Council (MR/L013215/1)
Embargo Lift Date
2025-06-10
Identifiers
This record's DOI: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.85417
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/338012
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