State-dependent signal flow hierarchy in the human cerebral cortex.

iEC-based signal flow mapping in the human cerebral cortex recovers connectome directionality and yields a state-dependent hierarchy that is flatter during externally oriented processing and steeper during internally focused conditions.

• Why it matters: Linking brain structure to dynamic function requires knowing how directed information travels across distributed networks, and whether functional hierarchies change with brain state.
• What they did: The framework combines integrated effective connectivity with unconstrained signal flow mapping, using simulations and empirical validation to align inferred directionality with histologically defined feedforward and feedback pathways.
• The result: The hierarchy increases monotonically from sensorimotor to association to paralimbic areas, and it flexibly reorganizes across states, consistent with laminar connectivity predictions and greater interoceptive engagement internally.

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