Peer-reviewedCC BYNeuron
Precision fMRI reveals densely interdigitated network patches with conserved motifs in the lateral prefrontal cortex
11 affiliations
- 1Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. Electronic address: [email protected]
- 2Department of Psychology, Urbana, IL, USA; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- 3Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- 4Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA; Department of Neurology, Washington University St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- 5Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA
- 6Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- 7Department of Radiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- 8Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neurology/Neuropsychology, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- 9Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA
- 10Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- 11Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Psychology, Urbana, IL, USA; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA. Electronic address: [email protected]
Abstract
Dominant models of human lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) organization emphasize broad domain-general zones and smooth functional gradients. However, these models rely on group-averaged neuroimaging, which can obscure fine-scale cortical features in highly inter-individually variable regions such as the LPFC. To address this limitation, we collected a new precision fMRI dataset from 10 individuals, each with approximately 2 h of resting-state fMRI and 6 h of task fMRI data. We mapped individual-specific LPFC networks using resting-state data and tested network-level functional preferences using task data. We found that individual LPFC networks showed fragmented and interdigitated organization compared to the group-averaged networks, including novel conserved motifs present across individuals. Task fMRI revealed that distinct yet adjacent networks support domain-specific processes (i.e., language, social cognition, and episodic projection) versus domain-general cognitive control. Sharp functional boundaries were visible at the individual level that could not be observed in group data. These findings uncover previously hidden fine-scale organizational principles present in the LPFC.
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BibTeX
@article{ladwig2026precision,
title = {{Precision fMRI reveals densely interdigitated network patches with conserved motifs in the lateral prefrontal cortex}},
author = {Zach Ladwig and Kian Z. Kermani and Youngeun Park and Elena Housteau and Ally Dworetsky and Nathan Labora and Joanna J. Hernandez and Megan Dorn and Derek M. Smith and Derek Evan Nee and Steven E. Petersen and Rodrigo M. Braga and Caterina Gratton},
journal = {Neuron},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2026.04.011},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2026.04.011},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Precision fMRI reveals densely interdigitated network patches with conserved motifs in the lateral prefrontal cortex
AU - Zach Ladwig
AU - Kian Z. Kermani
AU - Youngeun Park
AU - Elena Housteau
AU - Ally Dworetsky
AU - Nathan Labora
AU - Joanna J. Hernandez
AU - Megan Dorn
AU - Derek M. Smith
AU - Derek Evan Nee
AU - Steven E. Petersen
AU - Rodrigo M. Braga
AU - Caterina Gratton
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/18
JO - Neuron
DO - 10.1016/j.neuron.2026.04.011
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2026.04.011
AB - Dominant models of human lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) organization emphasize broad domain-general zones and smooth functional gradients. However, these models rely on group-averaged neuroimaging, which can obscure fine-scale cortical features in highly inter-individually variable regions such as the LPFC. To address this limitation, we collected a new precision fMRI dataset from 10 individuals, each with approximately 2 h of resting-state fMRI and 6 h of task fMRI data. We mapped individual-specific LPFC networks using resting-state data and tested network-level functional preferences using task data. We found that individual LPFC networks showed fragmented and interdigitated organization compared to the group-averaged networks, including novel conserved motifs present across individuals. Task fMRI revealed that distinct yet adjacent networks support domain-specific processes (i.e., language, social cognition, and episodic projection) versus domain-general cognitive control. Sharp functional boundaries were visible at the individual level that could not be observed in group data. These findings uncover previously hidden fine-scale organizational principles present in the LPFC.
SN - 0896-6273
SN - 1097-4199
ER -