The topology of the cerebral cortex has been proposed to provide an important source of constraint for the organization of cognition. In a sample of twins (n = 1113), we determined structural covariance of thickness to be organized along both a posterior-to-anterior and an inferior-to-superior axis. Both organizational axes were present when investigating the genetic correlation of cortical thickness, suggesting a strong genetic component in humans, and had a comparable organization in macaques, demonstrating they are phylogenetically conserved in primates. In both species, the inferior-superior dimension of cortical organization aligned with the predictions of dual-origin theory, and in humans, we found that the posterior-to-anterior axis related to a functional topography describing a continuum of functions from basic processes involved in perception and action to more abstract features of human cognition. Together, our study provides important insights into how functional and evolutionary patterns converge at the level of macroscale cortical structural organization.

大脑皮层的拓扑结构已被提出为认知的组织提供重要的约束源。在双胞胎样本 ( n = 1113) 中，我们确定了沿后到前轴和从下到上轴组织的厚度结构协方差。在研究皮质厚度的遗传相关性时，这两个组织轴都存在，表明人类具有很强的遗传成分，并且在猕猴中也有类似的组织，表明它们在灵长类动物中在系统发育上是保守的。在这两个物种中，皮质组织的上下维度与双起源理论的预测一致，在人类中，我们发现后到前轴与功能地形相关，该功能地形描述了所涉及的基本过程的功能连续体人类认知的更抽象特征的感知和行动。总之，我们的研究为功能和进化模式如何在宏观皮层结构组织水平上融合提供了重要见解。