Project

Mapping hemisphere asymmetries in brain network topology

Code
3E001720
Duration
01 November 2020 → 31 October 2024
Funding
Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Research disciplines
  • Social sciences
    • Neuroimaging
    • Neuropsychology
  • Medical and health sciences
    • Cognitive neuroscience
Keywords
Asymmetry brain network dyslexia
 
Project description

Many hemispheric asymmetries in brain structure and function have been reported in previous research, suggesting an advantage of a typical asymmetrical organization. The majority of these studies focused on the asymmetry of a single function or brain structure, rather than investigating brain organization as a whole network. The proposed project aims to examine asymmetries of the entire structural and functional brain network or connectome (SC and FC respectively). This fellowship will 1) map the prototypical asymmetry pattern and its variance in the FC and SC and examine how these two overlap using a large sample of healthy right-handed adults, 2) validate the results in a group of participants that have a known mirrored typical hemispheric organization of cognitive functioning, by showing mirrored asymmetry patterns in the FC and SC, and 3) examine the clinical relevance of the prototypical asymmetry organization by studying the FC and SC asymmetries and their link to reading abilities in a group of participants with dyslexia. This project will allow a state-of-the-art examination of network asymmetries. It will answer unsettled topics in the literature and provide new avenues for the investigation and understanding of prototypical brain network asymmetries and its advantageous nature, both in a normal and in clinical populations.