Parcellation of Macaque Cortex with Anatomical Connectivity Profiles

Abstract

The macaque model has been widely used to investigate the brain mechanisms of specific cognitive functions and psychiatric disorders. However, a detailed functional architecture map of the macaque cortex in vivo is still lacking. Here, we aimed to construct a new macaque cortex atlas based on its anatomical connectivity profiles using in vivo diffusion MRI. First, we defined the macaque cortical seed areas using the NeuroMaps atlas. Then, we applied the anatomical connectivity patterns-based parcellation approach to parcellate the macaque cortex into 80 subareas in each hemisphere, which were approximately symmetric between the two hemispheres. In each hemisphere, we identified 14 subareas in the frontal cortex, 9 subareas in the somatosensory cortex, 13 subareas in the parietal cortex, 16 subareas in the temporal cortex, 16 subareas in the occipital cortex, and 12 subareas in the limbic system. Finally, the graph-based network analyses of the anatomical network based on newly constructed macaque cortex atlas identified seven hub areas including bilateral ventral premotor cortex, bilateral superior parietal lobule, right medial precentral gyrus, and right precuneus. This newly constructed macaque cortex atlas may facilitate studies of the structure and functions of the macaque brain in the future.