Network-based asymmetry of the human auditory system

Bratislav Mišić*, Richard F. Betzel, Alessandra Griffa, Marcel A. De Reus, Ye He, Xi Nian Zuo, Martijn P. Van Den Heuvel, Patric Hagmann, Olaf Sporns, Robert J. Zatorre

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Converging evidence from activation, connectivity, and stimulation studies suggests that auditory brain networks are lateralized. Here we show that these findings can be at least partly explained by the asymmetric network embedding of the primary auditory cortices. Using diffusion-weighted imaging in 3 independent datasets, we investigate the propensity for left and right auditory cortex to communicate with other brain areas by quantifying the centrality of the auditory network across a spectrum of communication mechanisms, from shortest path communication to diffusive spreading. Across all datasets, we find that the right auditory cortex is better integrated in the connectome, facilitating more efficient communication with other areas, with much of the asymmetry driven by differences in communication pathways to the opposite hemisphere. Critically, the primacy of the right auditory cortex emerges only when communication is conceptualized as a diffusive process, taking advantage of more than just the topologically shortest paths in the network. Altogether, these results highlight how the network configuration and embedding of a particular region may contribute to its functional lateralization.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2655-2664
Number of pages10
JournalCerebral Cortex
Volume28
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Auditory
  • Connectome
  • Network
  • Spreading

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