5/5 This fiber stretches from forebrain to hindbrain, mirroring neural tube maturation. Intriguingly, these metabolic networks closely align with genetic co-expression and cytoarchitectonic patterns, highlighting a neurodevelopmental component.

4/5 In healthy subjects, averaging these matrices unveiled a striking pattern: nearby regions share similar metabolite profiles, distant ones differ, and they align with known functional modules. Moreover, a continuous gradient emerges, forming a “metabolic fiber”.

3/5 By parcellating the brain’s grey matter using Chimera github.com/connectomics... and correlating inter-regional metabolite profiles, we created a metabolic similarity matrix.

2/5 Everything started with the latest advances in whole-brain 3D proton MRSI doi.org/10.1002/nbm.... which enable to map five key metabolites (tNAA, Cr, Glx, Cho, Ins) across the entire brain in short acquisition times.