Connectome brain fingerprinting: terminology, measures, and target properties

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Fraschini, Matteo, Demuru, Matteo, Marinazzo, Daniele, Didaci, Luca
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Fraschini, Matteo
Demuru, Matteo
Marinazzo, Daniele
Didaci, Luca
author_facet Fraschini, Matteo
Demuru, Matteo
Marinazzo, Daniele
Didaci, Luca
contents Distinguishing one person from another (what biometricians call recognition) is extremely relevant for different aspects of life. Traditional biometric modalities (fingerprint, face, iris, voice) rely on unique, stable features that reliably differentiate individuals. Recently, the term fingerprinting has gained popularity in neuroscience, with a growing number of studies adopting the term to describe various brain based metrics derived from different techniques. However, we think there is a mismatch between its widely accepted meaning in the biometric community and some brain based metrics. Many of these measures do not satisfy the strict definition of a biometric fingerprint that is, a stable trait that uniquely identifies an individual. In this study we discuss some issues that may generate confusion in this context and suggest how to treat the question in the future. In particular, we review how fingerprint is currently used in the neuroscience literature, highlight mismatches with the biometric community definition, and offer clear guidelines for distinguishing genuine biometric fingerprints from exploratory similarity metrics. By clarifying terminology and criteria, we aim to align practices and facilitate communication across fields.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_05769
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Connectome brain fingerprinting: terminology, measures, and target properties
Fraschini, Matteo
Demuru, Matteo
Marinazzo, Daniele
Didaci, Luca
Quantitative Methods
Neurons and Cognition
Distinguishing one person from another (what biometricians call recognition) is extremely relevant for different aspects of life. Traditional biometric modalities (fingerprint, face, iris, voice) rely on unique, stable features that reliably differentiate individuals. Recently, the term fingerprinting has gained popularity in neuroscience, with a growing number of studies adopting the term to describe various brain based metrics derived from different techniques. However, we think there is a mismatch between its widely accepted meaning in the biometric community and some brain based metrics. Many of these measures do not satisfy the strict definition of a biometric fingerprint that is, a stable trait that uniquely identifies an individual. In this study we discuss some issues that may generate confusion in this context and suggest how to treat the question in the future. In particular, we review how fingerprint is currently used in the neuroscience literature, highlight mismatches with the biometric community definition, and offer clear guidelines for distinguishing genuine biometric fingerprints from exploratory similarity metrics. By clarifying terminology and criteria, we aim to align practices and facilitate communication across fields.
title Connectome brain fingerprinting: terminology, measures, and target properties
topic Quantitative Methods
Neurons and Cognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.05769