Homophily-informed generative models of brain maps

Abstract

The structural and functional organization of the brain can be studied across multiple scales, yielding richly detailed topographic brain maps of biological features. What are the underlying forces that shape their spatial patterning? Here we introduce a simple generative model of multiscale brain maps based on the concept of inter-regional homophily: the tendency for regions that are proximal in a given physical, molecular or functional space to display similar biological features. We evaluate the model with respect to six definitions of inter-regional homophily, including physical proximity, structural and functional connectivity, and laminar, receptor and transcriptional similarity, and across 43 empirical brain maps estimated using multiple imaging, electrophysiological and histological technologies. We show that homophilic principles are sufficient to accurately reconstruct many maps, with biological similarity and functional connectivity often contributing more than the brains geometry. We also identify consistent patterns of unexplained variation in maps with low homophily, revealing axes of cortical organization not captured by canonical inter-regional relationships. Finally, we show that homophily-informed generative models can be used to disentangle complex relationships between brain features and make new inferences on how they fit together. Collectively, this work highlights the fundamental contribution of homophily to the topographic layout of numerous biological features of the brain.