Structural and dynamic embedding of the mouse functional connectome revealed by functional ultrasound imaging (fUSI)

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Authors: Chiara Pepe, Jean-Charles Rene’ Pasquin Mariani, Mila Urosevic, Silvia Gini, Alexia Stuefer, Fabio Ricci, Alberto Galbusera, Giuliano Iurilli, Alessandro Gozzi
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Abstract

Functional ultrasound imaging (fUSI) is an emerging hemodynamic neuroimaging modality whose potential for connectome-scale network mapping remains largely untested. Here, we establish a non-invasive transcranial fUSI protocol and an fMRI-inspired preprocessing framework that enable robust resting-state functional connectomics in the mouse. We show that fUSI resolves canonical brain-wide cortical and subcortical networks with high spatial concordance to fMRI, including a default-mode (DMN) and a laterocortical network. Notably, fUSI networks are robustly embedded within the structural connectome, with structure-function coupling being parsimoniously described by four dominant axes that differentially relate functional systems to known anatomical substrates. We also show that, beyond static organization, fUSI reproduces hallmark resting state fMRI dynamics, including dominant anti-correlated coactivation patterns (CAPs) and a structuredtransition architecture that converges onto three stable attractor modes. Together, these results establish transcranial fUSI as a portable and scalable complement to fMRI for connectome-scale mapping of mouse brain networks.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Functional Brain Connectivity Studies Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications

Publication details

Journal / source
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Publication date
4 February 2026
Document type
Dataset