Picture free recall performance linked to the brain's structural connectome

INTRODUCTION: Memory functions are highly variable between healthy humans. The neural correlates of this variability remain largely unknown. METHODS: Here, we investigated how differences in free recall performance are associated with DTI‐based properties of the brain's structural connectome and with grey matter volumes in 664 healthy young individuals tested in the same MR scanner. RESULTS: Global structural connectivity, but not overall or regional grey matter volumes, positively correlated with recall performance. Moreover, a set of 22 inter‐regional connections, including some with no previously reported relation to human memory, such as the connection between the temporal pole and the nucleus accumbens, explained 7.8% of phenotypic variance. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this large‐scale study indicates that individual memory performance is associated with the level of structural brain connectivity.