Gradients of functional connectivity in the mouse cortex reflect neocortical evolution

Understanding cortical organization is a fundamental goal of neuroscience that requires comparisons across species and modalities. Large-scale connectivity gradients have recently been introduced as a data-driven representation of the intrinsic organization of the cortex. We studied resting-state functional connectivity gradients in the mouse cortex and found robust spatial patterns across four data sets. The principal gradient of functional connectivity shows a striking overlap with an axis of neocortical evolution from two primordial origins. Additional gradients reflect sensory specialization and aspects of a sensory-to-transmodal hierarchy, and are associated with transcriptomic features. While some of these gradients strongly resemble observations in the human cortex, the overall pattern in the mouse cortex emphasizes the specialization of sensory areas over a global functional hierarchy. Highlights ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. * MRI : magnetic resonance imaging rsfMRI : resting-state functional MRI GE : gradient-echo EPI : echo-planar imaging FOV : field of view MD : matrix dimensions TR : repetition time TE : echo time Allen Mouse CCF v3 : Allen Mouse Common Coordinate Framework version 3 Allen SDK : Allen Software Development Kit PC(A) : principal component (analysis) SA : spatial autocorrelation GO : gene ontology FDR : false discovery rate T1/2w : T1/2-weighted