Structural and dynamic embedding of the mouse functional connectome revealed by functional ultrasound imaging (fUSI)

Functional ultrasound imaging (fUSI) is an emerging hemodynamic neuroimaging modality whose 
potential for connectome-scale network mapping remains largely untested. Here, we establish a 
non-invasive transcranial fUSI protocol and an fMRI-inspired preprocessing framework that enable 
robust resting-state functional connectomics in the mouse. We show that fUSI resolves canonical 
brain-wide cortical and subcortical networks with high spatial concordance to fMRI, including a 
default-mode (DMN) and a laterocortical network. Notably, fUSI networks are robustly embedded 
within the structural connectome, with structure-function coupling being parsimoniously 
described by four dominant axes that differentially relate functional systems to known anatomical 
substrates. We also show that, beyond static organization, fUSI reproduces hallmark resting state 
fMRI dynamics, including dominant anti-correlated coactivation patterns (CAPs) and a structured
transition architecture that converges onto three stable attractor modes. Together, these results 
establish transcranial fUSI as a portable and scalable complement to fMRI for connectome-scale 
mapping of mouse brain networks.