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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.05.18.725812

Robust lesion network mapping reveals genuine symptom-specific networks

Cui, W.·Zhu, J.·Long, Y.·Zhang, W.·Huang, J.·Wang, F.·Gordon, E. M.·Dosenbach, N. U. F.·Wang, D.·Ren, J.·Liu, H.
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Abstract

Lesion network mapping (LNM) and its derivatives successfully integrate anatomically distributed brain loci into common symptom-associated functional networks, however, their statistical validity and specificity have recently become topics of debate. Here, we introduce a null model-based robust LNM (rLNM) framework to perform sensitivity and symptom-specificity testing. Across multiple lesion-based (10 conditions, 333 lesions) and task-based (4 conditions, 706 experiments) datasets, rLNM reveals biologically meaningful and symptom-specific networks while effectively controlling for false positives.

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Cui, W., Zhu, J., Long, Y., Zhang, W., Huang, J., Wang, F., Gordon, E. M., Dosenbach, N. U. F., Wang, D., Ren, J., Liu, H.. 2026-05-19. Robust lesion network mapping reveals genuine symptom-specific networks. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.05.18.725812

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