MELBOURNE, June 29 (Xinhua) -- The physical shape of the brain plays a fundamental role in determining how it wires itself, according to an Australian-led study on brain connectivity.
The study, led by Monash University researchers and published in Cell, finds that the brain's complex wiring diagram, or cortical connectome, does not form at random but follows predictable patterns shaped by geometry, according to a university statement released on Monday.
Using a mathematical model grounded in neural field theory, researchers showed that connections preferentially form between locations that support "resonant patterns" of neural activity influenced by the brain's structure.
"Just as the physical shape of a bell or a drum determines its vibrations and the music that it produces, the physical geometry of the brain constrains the patterns of neural activity it can support," said the study's lead author Francis Normand from the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health at Monash University.
Testing the model across various species, from mice to humans, the team found that the physical shape of the brain has served as a blueprint in guiding its internal wiring for at least 90 million years of mammalian evolution.
The team said the brain's geometry may shape its wiring much like a pond's form influences ripples after a raindrop.
The model also predicts both the topology and physical layout of connections, addressing limitations in previous theories. It suggests the brain wires itself in energy-efficient, low-frequency activity patterns.
The findings could help understand how structural changes or malformations alter the brain's wiring in psychiatric or neurological disorders, researchers said. ■
