Department of Neuroscience

Research Abstract

My laboratory studies the structure, function, connectivity, development, and evolution of cerebral cortex in humans and nonhuman primates. We use neuroimaging and neuroanatomical data extensively for these studies, acquired mainly through collaborative efforts with colleagues at Washington University and other institutions. A major emphasis within my lab is on the development and utilization of methods for computerized brain mapping as well as neuroinformatics tools that facilitate data analysis and data mining. I have served as a Principal Investigator for the Human Connectome Project (HCP), a large-scale effort to acquire, analyze, and freely share high-quality neuroimaging data from 1200 healthy adults, in order to enable exploration of brain connectivity and its relationship to behavior. We are particularly interested in using HCP and other high-quality datasets to better understand cortical parcellation and connectivity in humans and nonhuman primates.

Selected Publications

• Smith, S., Nichols, T., Vidaurre, D., Winkler, A., Behrens, T., Glasser, M., Ugurbil, K., Barch, D., Van Essen, D., and Miller, K. (2015) A “positive-negative” mode of population co-variation links brain connectivity, demographics and behavior. Nature Neuroscience. Sep 28, epub ahead of print.
• Markov, N.T., Ercsey-Ravasz, M.M., Ribeiro Gomes, A.R., Lamy, C., Magrou, L., Vezoli, J., Misery, P., Falchier, A., Quilodran, R., Gariel, M.A., Sallet, J., Gamanut, R., Huissoud, C., Clavagnier, S., Giroud, P., Sappey-Marinier, D., Barone, P., Dehay, C., Toroczkai, Z., Knoblauch, K., Van Essen, D.C., and Kennedy, H. A weighted and directed interareal connectivity matrix for macaque cerebral cortex. Cereb Cortex. 2014;24(1):17-36. Epub 2012/09/27.  PubMed PMID: 23010748; PMCID: PMC3862262.
• Marcus, D.S., Harms, M.P., Snyder, A.Z., Jenkinson, M., Wilson, J.A., Glasser, M.F., Barch, D.M., Archie, K.A., Burgess, G.C., Ramaratnam, M., Hodge, M., Horton, W., Herrick, R., Olsen, T., McKay, M., House, M., Hileman, M., Reid, E., Harwell, J., Coalson, T., Schindler, J., Elam, J.S., Curtiss, S.W., and Van Essen, D.C. Human Connectome Project informatics: quality control, database services, and data visualization. Neuroimage. 2013;80:202-19. Epub 2013/05/28. PubMed PMID: 23707591; PMCID: PMC3845379.
• Van Essen, D.C. Cartography and connectomes. Neuron. 2013;80(3):775-90. Epub 2013/11/05. PubMed PMID: 24183027; PMCID: PMC3855872.
• Van Essen, D.C., Smith, S.M., Barch, D.M., Behrens, T.E., Yacoub, E., and Ugurbil, K. The WU-Minn Human Connectome Project: an overview. Neuroimage. 2013;80:62-79. Epub 2013/05/21. PubMed PMID: 23684880; PMCID: PMC3724347.
• Van Essen, D.C., Smith, S.M., Barch, D.M., Behrens, T.E., Yacoub, E., and Ugurbil, K. The WU-Minn Human Connectome Project: an overview. Neuroimage. 2013;80:62-79. Epub 2013/05/21. PubMed PMID: 23684880; PMCID: PMC3724347.
• Glasser, M.F. and Van Essen, D.C. Mapping Human Cortical Areas In Vivo Based on Myelin Content as Revealed by T1- and T2-Weighted MRI. Journal of Neuroscience. 2011;31(32):11597-11616.
• Hill, J., Inder, T., Neil, J., Dierker, D., Harwell, J., and Van Essen, D. (2010) Similar patterns of cortical expansion during human development and evolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 107(29):13135-40. Epub 2010/07/14. PubMed PMID: 20624964; PMCID: PMC2919958.
• Van Essen, D.C. (1997) A tension-based theory of morphogenesis and compact wiring in the central nervous system. Nature. 385:313-318.
• Felleman, D.J. and Van Essen, D.C. (1991) Distributed hierarchical processing in primate cerebral cortex. Cerebral Cortex. 1: 1-47.

For a complete list of Dr. Van Essen's publications, click here.