biostudies-literatureJohn YJNIMH NIH HHS897237https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9501703biostudies-literatureUnknown16High-level characterizations of the primate cerebral cortex sit between two extremes: on one end the cortical mantle is seen as a mosaic of structurally and functionally unique areas, and on the other it is seen as a uniform six-layered structure in which functional differences are defined solely by extrinsic connections. Neither of these extremes captures the crucial neuroanatomical finding: that the cortex exhibits systematic gradations in architectonic structure. These gradations have been shown to predict cortico-cortical connectivity, which in turn suggests powerful ways to ground connectomics in anatomical structure, and by extension cortical function. A challenge to widespread use of this concept is the labor-intensive and invasive nature of histological staining, which is the primaFrontiers in neuroanatomyThe cortical spectrum: A robust structural continuum in primate cerebral cortex revealed by histological staining and magnetic resonance imaging.PMC9501703R01 MH057414R01 MH117785R01 MH118500John YJGarcia-Cabezas MAZikopoulos BBarbas HfalseThe cortical spectrum: A robust structural continuum in primate cerebral cortex revealed by histological staining and magnetic resonance imaging.High-level characterizations of the primate cerebral cortex sit between two extremes: on one end the cortical mantle is seen as a mosaic of structurally and functionally unique areas, and on the other it is seen as a uniform six-layered structure in which functional differences are defined solely by extrinsic connections. Neither of these extremes captures the crucial neuroanatomical finding: that the cortex exhibits systematic gradations in architectonic structure. These gradations have been shown to predict cortico-cortical connectivity, which in turn suggests powerful ways to ground connectomics in anatomical structure, and by extension cortical function. A challenge to widespread use of this concept is the labor-intensive and invasive nature of histological staining, which is the prima2022-01-01T00:00:00Z20222025-04-04T09:02:15.063Z2025-04-04T09:02:15.063ZS-EPMC95017033615732410.3389/fnana.2022.897237