Converging cortical axes

Abstract

The cerebral cortex shows complex organization across diverse biological scales, from regional chemical and cellular specializations to macroscale functional networks. Zhang et al. report that macroscopic neuroimaging maps of cortical activity align with microscopic cellular features: sensory and association regions define opposing extremes for both. The consistent identification of a sensory–association axis across multiple scales and analytic approaches underscores it as a fundamental organizational principle that raises new challenges for the field.