Atypical functional connectome in congenitally blind humans

The cortex is organized along macroscale structural and functional gradients that extend from unimodal to transmodal association areas and from somatosensory to visual regions. It has not been tested whether this organization represents an intrinsic neuro-architecture immune to sensory experience or depends on sensory input. Here, we conducted connectome gradient analyses using resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in congenitally blind individuals and sighted controls. In both groups, we observed a principal gradient (G1) extending from unimodal to transmodal, a second gradient (G2) spanning from somatosensory to visual, and a third gradient (G3) separating the frontoparietal network from the rest of the brain. Our findings indicate that the macroscale organization of the cortex develops largely independently of sensory experience. However, in blind individuals, the sensorimotor network was more distanced from the visual network (G2), while the visual network was more integrated with transmodal (G1) and frontoparietal (G3) networks. In blind individuals, the hierarchical organization within the early visual cortex was altered, the structure-function coupling in visual and temporal areas was reduced, and functional similarity between V1 center and periphery disappeared. These results suggest a critical role of sensory input in shaping the macroscale functional and structural organization of the brain.