RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Gene Expression Correlates of the Cortical Network Underlying Sentence Processing
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 439984
DO 10.1101/439984
A1 Xiang-Zhen Kong
A1 Nathalie Tzourio-Mazoyer
A1 Marc Joliot
A1 Evelina Fedorenko
A1 Jia Liu
A1 Simon E. Fisher
A1 Clyde Francks
YR 2018
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/10/11/439984.abstract
AB A pivotal question in modern neuroscience is which genes regulate brain circuits that underlie cognitive functions. However, the field is still in its infancy. Here we report an integrated investigation of the high-level language network (i.e., sentence processing network) in the human cerebral cortex, combining regional gene expression profiles, task fMRI, and resting-state functional network approaches. We revealed reliable gene expression-functional network correlations using multiple datasets and network definition strategies, and identified a consensus set of genes related to connectivity within the sentence-processing network. The genes involved showed enrichment for neural development functions, as well as association signals with autism, which can involve disrupted language functioning. Our findings help elucidate the molecular basis of the brain’s infrastructure for language. The integrative approach described here will be useful to study other complex cognitive traits.