Mapping the rest of the human connectome: Atlasing the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system

• Published in: NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Fla.), 2021-01, Vol.225, p.117478-117478, Article 117478
• Main Authors: Irimia, Andrei, Van Horn, John Darrell
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algorithms; Brain mapping; Brain research; Central nervous system; Connectome; Data basing; Diffusion Tensor Imaging; Dissection; Image processing; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Informatics; Localization; Magnetic resonance imaging; Medical imaging; Medical practices; Modeling; Nervous system; Neural networks; Neural Pathways - anatomy & histology; Neural Pathways - diagnostic imaging; Neuroimaging; Neuroimaging - methods; Neurosciences; Neurosurgery; Peripheral nervous system; Peripheral Nervous System - anatomy & histology; Peripheral Nervous System - diagnostic imaging; Population; Segmentation; Spinal cord; Spinal Cord - anatomy & histology; Spinal Cord - diagnostic imaging; Structure-function relationships; Tractography
• ISSN: 1053-8119; 1095-9572
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117478

•Measuring connectivity of the brain has been the focus in countless research articles.•The true connectome is comprised of connections from the entire nervous system.•Many technical and practical implications for such rich and extensive mapping exist.•Important research and clinical uses arise from mapping the nervous system entirety.•Mapping of the complete connectome is a next logical step for neuroimaging science. The emergence of diffusion, structural, and functional neuroimaging methods has enabled major multi-site efforts to map the human connectome, which has heretofore been defined as containing all neural connections in the central nervous system (CNS). However, these efforts are not structured to examine the richness and complexity of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), which arguably forms the (neglected) rest of the connectome. Despite increasing interest in an atlas of the spinal cord (SC) and PNS which is simultaneously stereotactic, interactive, electronically dissectible, scalable, population-based and deformable, little attention has thus far been devoted to this task of critical importance. Nevertheless, the atlasing of these complete neural structures is essential for neurosurgical planning, neurological localization, and for mapping those components of the human connectome located outside of the CNS. Here we recommend a modification to the definition of the human connectome to include the SC and PNS, and argue for the creation of an inclusive atlas to complement current efforts to map the brain's human connectome, to enhance clinical education, and to assist progress in neuroscience research. In addition to providing a critical overview of existing neuroimaging techniques, image processing methodologies and algorithmic advances which can be combined for the creation of a full connectome atlas, we outline a blueprint for ultimately mapping the entire human nervous system and, thereby, for filling a critical gap in our scientific knowledge of neural connectivity.