A study of 504 people with focal brain lesions finds that damage to white matter regions with densely-packed structural connections was more strongly associated with cognitive impairment than damage to gray matter regions with high connectivity; the results suggest that white matter hubs may be critically important to cognition and may explain differences in cognitive impairment among people who experience brain damage, according to the authors.
Article #20-18784: "Cognitive impairment after focal brain lesions is better predicted by damage to structural than functional network hubs," by Justin Reber et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Justin Reber, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA; tel: 435-680-1505; email: justin-reber@uiowa.edu
###
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences