Mapping the functional connectome between grey matter and white matter.

Junchen Zhou, Wenxia Li, Siyuan Luo, Kangjia Chen, Shuo Xu, Qingjin Liu, Huafu Chen, Wei Liao, Jiao Li

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Communications biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Junchen ZhouThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.

Wenxia LiThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.

Siyuan LuoThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.

Kangjia ChenThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.

Shuo XuThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.

Qingjin LiuThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.

Huafu ChenThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4062-4753

Wei LiaoThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.ORCID 0000-0001-7406-7193

Jiao LiThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. jiaoli@uestc.edu.cn.ORCID 0000-0003-3517-6420

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 62473082, 82121003, and 62036003

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Brain white matter (WM) has traditionally been viewed as a passive conduit for neural transmission. However, evidence of blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals measured from the WM suggests its active participation in grey matter (GM) functional networks. Using 7-Tesla functional MRI (fMRI) data, we constructed a GM-WM functional connectome. We found that GM-WM functional architecture follows the unimodal-transmodal hierarchy of GM and is shaped by distributions of neurotransmitter receptors. Distinct WM networks exhibit unique connectivity profiles with GM, reflecting their roles in specific cognitive domains. Individual variations in this connectome correlated with cognitive performance. Notably, compared with the traditional GM-GM functional connectome, the GM-WM functional connectome shows stronger associations with brain disorders, suggesting greater diagnostic sensitivity as a neuromarker. These findings are replicated in a 3-Tesla fMRI cohort. Our work establishes WM as an integral component of the brain's functional architecture, contributing to hierarchical architecture and supporting higher-order cognition.

Indexed as

ConnectomeGray MatterWhite MatterFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMale

Identifiers

PMID42303715

DOI10.1038/s42003-026-10483-7

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.