Neuroscientists have long known which brain regions work together. What has remained unknown are the pathways these areas use to communicate with each other. Now, a method developed at the University of Helsinki offers a new way of looking at brain networks and their function.
Medical physicist Viljami Sairanen developed a mathematical model that combines two imaging techniques, one of which measures brain function and the other brain structure. The model assesses which structural pathways could support the observed functional connectivity.
Neural pathways exposed – A new perspective to brain networks
The method produced anatomically plausible and reproducible results in both simulated datasets and human imaging data.
While current methods indicate which areas of the brain are connected, they do not accurately show the structural pathways connecting these regions. Sairanen’s method fills this gap. In the study, the method was applied to MRI scans, but in theory it also works with other measuring techniques, including electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG).
Applications from diseases to transport
In the future, the method could be applied to the study of neurological diseases. In MS, changes in the brain vary greatly between patients. The method could help determine how local damage affects wider brain networks. It could also support surgical planning and rehabilitation.
According to Sairanen, the framework could also be applied outside neuroscience, including in the analysis of transport and logistics networks.
At present, the method does not describe actual neural signal propagation or causal relationships. Instead, it identifies structurally plausible routes that are compatible with observed functional connectivity. Sairanen intends to expand it to describing evolving brain processes.
Original article:
Viljami Sairanen; From nodes to pathways: an edge-centric model of brain function-structure coupling via constrained Laplacians. Network Neuroscience 2026; doi:
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Electroencephalography (EEG) measures the electrical activity of the brain. Electrodes attached to the scalp record electrical signals produced by neurons with millisecond precision.
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) measures the same phenomenon, but by recording magnetic fields produced by the brain. MEG provides more detailed information on the location of brain activity.
Both are used to study epilepsy and map out brain function, among other things.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) produces accurate images of the body’s structures using a magnetic field and radio waves. MRI devices do not emit X-rays. MRI is particularly well suited to imaging soft tissues, such as the brain, muscles and joints. Functional MRI (fMRI) indirectly measures brain function.