Justine Hansen, McGill University
Article citation
Hansen, J. Y., Cauzzo, S., Singh, K., García-Gomar, M. G., Shine, J. M., Bianciardi, M., & Misic, B. (2024). Integrating brainstem and cortical functional architectures. Nature Neuroscience, 1-12.
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Studying how the deepest regions of the brain contribute to brain activity
The brainstem is a structure which is crucial for survival and consciousness, yet it is typically excluded from live human brain mapping efforts due to the difficulties in recording and analysing activity in this small region which sits deep at the base of the brain. In this study, Justine Hansen, working in the laboratory of Bratislav Misic at McGill University, used high-resolution 7-Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) alongside new brainstem-specific processing and acquisition protocols to better understand connections in and with this essential brain region. This work identified a compact set of integrative hubs in the brainstem with widespread connectivity with the brain cortex. Specifically, they identified five modules of brainstem nuclei with distinct patterns of functional connectivity to the brain cortex related to memory, cognitive control, multisensory coordination, perception and movement, and emotion. These results push our understanding of brainstem functional neuroanatomy, such that the brainstem is no longer thought to simply be involved in basal functions but instead is recognized as an essential element of higher-order brain function.
In vivo functional imaging of the human brainstem has long eluded the neuroimaging field, resulting in a vacuum of knowledge about awake human brainstem activity. In this study, Justine Hansen revealed that many phenomena that were previously considered cortex-specific, such as cognitive functional specialization and organisation, are reflected by patterns of brainstem connectivity. This innovative work, integrating in vivo neuroimaging, statistical learning and network science, is profoundly transforming the field’s understanding of multi-scale structure-function relationships in the brain.
The next-generation connectomics approach developed in the study is key to better understanding whole-brain function. Furthermore, the researchers are leaders in open science, making all data and computational and statistical analysis tools available to the wider scientific community, such that students can apply Justine Hansen’s data-driven analyses to their own work. The brainstem functional connectivity data are already being applied to understand network-spreading effects in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
About Justine Hansen
Justine Hansen is a PhD student in the laboratory of Dr. Bratislav Misic at the Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, where she led all elements of this study from its conception to its publication.
Source of funding
This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Brain Canada Foundation Future Leaders Fund, the Canada Research Chairs Program, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives initiative, the Helmholtz International BigBrain Analytics & Learning Laboratory, and the National Institute of Aging.