The scientists behind the study took various measures of how fast water molecules flow in different parts of the brain, which serves as an indication of the fine structure of nerve connections between brain regions.
These connections consist of long extensions of nerve cells, called axons, which connect to other nerve cells in a very
intricate network.
The findings, by brain researcher Georg S. Kanz of the Medical University of Vienna and colleagues, were published Nov. 12 in the Journal of Neuroscience.
The researchers used a brain scanning method known as diffusion based magnetic resonance tomography, which exaines the spread, or diffusion, of water in each part of the brain in order to reveal the fine structure of brain connections.