Journal article
A synergistic core for human brain evolution and cognition
- Abstract:
- How does the organization of neural information processing enable humans' sophisticated cognition? Here we decompose functional interactions between brain regions into synergistic and redundant components, revealing their distinct information-processing roles. Combining functional and structural neuroimaging with meta-analytic results, we demonstrate that redundant interactions are predominantly associated with structurally coupled, modular sensorimotor processing. Synergistic interactions instead support integrative processes and complex cognition across higher-order brain networks. The human brain leverages synergistic information to a greater extent than nonhuman primates, with high-synergy association cortices exhibiting the highest degree of evolutionary cortical expansion. Synaptic density mapping from positron emission tomography and convergent molecular and metabolic evidence demonstrate that synergistic interactions are supported by receptor diversity and human-accelerated genes underpinning synaptic function. This information-resolved approach provides analytic tools to disentangle information integration from coupling, enabling richer, more accurate interpretations of functional connectivity, and illuminating how the human neurocognitive architecture navigates the trade-off between robustness and integration.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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- Files:
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-
(Preview, Accepted manuscript, pdf, 5.5MB, Terms of use)
-
- Publisher copy:
- 10.1038/s41593-022-01070-0
Authors
+ Medical Research Council
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- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/03x94j517
- Grant:
- MR/M009041/1
+ Patrick Berthoud Charitable Trust
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- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/00nc7q809
- Grant:
- RG99368
+ National Institute for Health Research
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- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/0187kwz08
- Grant:
- 146281
+ Wellcome Trust
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- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/029chgv08
- Grant:
- 210920/Z/18/Z
+ Gates Cambridge Trust
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- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/033sn5p83
- Grant:
- OPP1144
- Publisher:
- Springer Nature
- Journal:
- Nature Neuroscience More from this journal
- Volume:
- 25
- Issue:
- 6
- Pages:
- 771-782
- Place of publication:
- United States
- Publication date:
- 2022-05-26
- Acceptance date:
- 2022-03-30
- DOI:
- EISSN:
-
1546-1726
- ISSN:
-
1097-6256
- Pmid:
-
35618951
- Language:
-
English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
-
2352509
- Local pid:
-
pubs:2352509
- Source identifiers:
-
W4281567855
- Deposit date:
-
2026-02-13
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Luppi et al
- Copyright date:
- 2022
- Rights statement:
- © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc. 2022
- Notes:
- This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. The final version is available online from Springer Nature at https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41593-022-01070-0
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