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Abstract

This lecture will start with an overview of possibilities to relate functional- and structural connectivity. It was shown that local neural models can generate oscillatory neural signals. These neural masses can be coupled by the structural connectivity between areas to generate a signal which is similar to functional brain activations. This connectome can be enriched by quantitative MRI measurements of myelination and other parameters computed from multiparametric measurements. Additionally, micro-structural measurements and axonal diameter distributions can be estimated in vivo using advanced diffusion imaging models such as CHARMED and AxCaliber. Recently the model was extended to 3D to measure the axonal diameters in the entire brain. Now it is possible to measure those properties in vivo using the strong gradient system of the Connectome MRI system. By enriching the connectome with measurement of the axonal diameter and the local myelination, this model allows to compute effective connectivity and even infer on the directionality of the information flow. Thisopens new possibilities to measure brain structure and function. As example, the lecture will end with an application of multimodal assessment of plasticity of brain connectivity in a language learning study of adults.