Uncovering Intrinsic Connectional Architecture of Functional Networks in Awake Rat Brain

Zhifeng Liang¹, Jean King¹, Nanyin Zhang¹

Intrinsic connectional architecture of the brain is a crucial element in understanding the governing principle of brain organization. However, this research topic is significantly underexplored in animals. By utilizing an awake animal imaging model in this study we explored the intrinsic connectional architecture of the rat brain. Our data suggested that the rat brain network exhibited typical features of small-worldness and strong community structures as shown in the human brain The results of this work provided a functional atlas of the rat brain at both intra- and inter-region levels. More importantly, the current work revealed that functional networks in rats are organized in a non-trivial manner and conserved fundamental topological properties as the human brain.