Common Connectome Constraints: From C. elegans and Drosophila to Homo sapiens

TL;DR

This paper investigates the hierarchical and modular organization of neural connectomes across species, exploring how topology influences neural dynamics and function, and examines the structural correlates of consciousness and neuron diversity.

Contribution

It introduces common connectome constraints applicable from C. elegans and Drosophila to humans, linking structure to function across species.

Findings

Hierarchical organization correlates with neural function.

Topology influences neural dynamics such as synchrony and oscillation.

Structural features may relate to consciousness levels.

Abstract

Neural systems show a modular and typically also a hierarchical organisation across different levels and across different species. Topology relates to function, but it is also influences dynamics as earlier studies showed its effect on synchrony, oscillation, and activity propagation. Understanding the link between the hierarchical organisation and processing (e.g. does consciousness structurally correlate with the top level of the hierarchy and where is the 'top' in a network?) remains one of the main challenges of the field. In addition, although neuron nodes are often treated as uniform entities, they can differ in terms of function (e.g. inhibitory vs. excitatory), morphology, or gene expression pattern.