General and specific patterns of cortical gene expression as substrates of complex cognitive functioning.

Gene expression varies across the brain. This spatial patterning denotes specialised support for particular brain functions. However, general rules may govern shared spatial fluctuations in expression across the genome. Such information would offer insights into the molecular characteristics of brain areas supporting, for example, complex cognitive functions. We find that the region-to-region variation in cortical expression profiles of 8235 genes covary across two major dimensions: cell-signalling/modification and transcription factors. These patterns are validated out-of-sample and across different data processing choices. Brain regions most strongly implicated in general cognitive ability ( g ; meta-analytic N = 40,929) have greater balance between downregulation and upregulation of both major components. We identify a further 34 genes as candidate substrates of g . The results provide insights into the cortical organisation of gene expression and its association with individual differences in cognitive functioning.