Hub

In the context of a network, a hub is a node with a large degree, meaning it has connections with many other nodes.


Brain networks or 'connectomes' include a minority of highly connected hub nodes that are functionally valuable, because their topological centrality supports integrative processing and adaptive behaviours. Recent studies also suggest that hubs have higher metabolic demands and longer-distance connections than other brain regions, and therefore could be considered biologically costly 1)

1)
Crossley NA, Mechelli A, Scott J, Carletti F, Fox PT, McGuire P, Bullmore ET. The hubs of the human connectome are generally implicated in the anatomy of brain disorders. Brain. 2014 Aug;137(Pt 8):2382-95. doi: 10.1093/brain/awu132. Epub 2014 Jun 19. Erratum in: Brain. 2015 Aug;138(Pt 8):e374. PMID: 25057133; PMCID: PMC4107735.