Pierre-Jean Le Reste1,2, C Haegelen3,4, B Gibaud4, T Moreau4, X Morandi3,4. 1. Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Pontchaillou, 2, Rue Henri Le Guilloux, 35000, Rennes, France. pierre-jean.le.reste@chu-rennes.fr. 2. MediCIS Laboratory, LTSI, INSERM U1099, University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France. pierre-jean.le.reste@chu-rennes.fr. 3. Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Pontchaillou, 2, Rue Henri Le Guilloux, 35000, Rennes, France. 4. MediCIS Laboratory, LTSI, INSERM U1099, University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is a cortical area involved in higher cognitive functions, and at the center of the pathophysiology of mental disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. Considering these major roles and the development of deep brain stimulation, the object of this study was to assess the patterns of connectivity of the DLPFC with its main subcortical relay, the thalamus, with the help of probabilistic tractography. METHODS: We used T1-weighted imaging and diffusion data from 18 subjects from the Human Connectome Project. The DLPFC and the thalamic nuclear groups were defined using the combination of atlases, sulcogyral anatomy and cytoarchitectonic data. Probabilistic tractography was performed from the DLPFC to the thalamus. The patterns of connectivity were assessed using two indexes: (1) a connectivity index (CI) which evaluate the strength of connection (2) an asymmetry index (AI) which explores the inter-hemispheric variability. RESULTS: The analysis of CI showed significant connections between the DLPFC and the dorsomedial nuclei (p < 0.05), the anterior nuclear groups (p < 0.05) and the right centromedian nucleus (p < 0.05). No link was found between handedness and AI (p > 0.05). Most of subjects (15/18) had a right predominance of the thalamo cortical connections of the DLPFC. CONCLUSIONS: Probabilistic tractography appears as a valuable non-invasive tool for the exploration of the thalamocortical connections between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and thalamic nuclei. It allowed to show different inter-hemispheric patterns of connectivity, and highlighted the centromedian nucleus as a key subcortical relay of executive functions.
PURPOSE: The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is a cortical area involved in higher cognitive functions, and at the center of the pathophysiology of mental disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. Considering these major roles and the development of deep brain stimulation, the object of this study was to assess the patterns of connectivity of the DLPFC with its main subcortical relay, the thalamus, with the help of probabilistic tractography. METHODS: We used T1-weighted imaging and diffusion data from 18 subjects from the Human Connectome Project. The DLPFC and the thalamic nuclear groups were defined using the combination of atlases, sulcogyral anatomy and cytoarchitectonic data. Probabilistic tractography was performed from the DLPFC to the thalamus. The patterns of connectivity were assessed using two indexes: (1) a connectivity index (CI) which evaluate the strength of connection (2) an asymmetry index (AI) which explores the inter-hemispheric variability. RESULTS: The analysis of CI showed significant connections between the DLPFC and the dorsomedial nuclei (p < 0.05), the anterior nuclear groups (p < 0.05) and the right centromedian nucleus (p < 0.05). No link was found between handedness and AI (p > 0.05). Most of subjects (15/18) had a right predominance of the thalamo cortical connections of the DLPFC. CONCLUSIONS: Probabilistic tractography appears as a valuable non-invasive tool for the exploration of the thalamocortical connections between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and thalamic nuclei. It allowed to show different inter-hemispheric patterns of connectivity, and highlighted the centromedian nucleus as a key subcortical relay of executive functions.
Authors: Bruce Fischl; David H Salat; Evelina Busa; Marilyn Albert; Megan Dieterich; Christian Haselgrove; Andre van der Kouwe; Ron Killiany; David Kennedy; Shuna Klaveness; Albert Montillo; Nikos Makris; Bruce Rosen; Anders M Dale Journal: Neuron Date: 2002-01-31 Impact factor: 17.173
Authors: David C Van Essen; Stephen M Smith; Deanna M Barch; Timothy E J Behrens; Essa Yacoub; Kamil Ugurbil Journal: Neuroimage Date: 2013-05-16 Impact factor: 6.556
Authors: Mark Jenkinson; Christian F Beckmann; Timothy E J Behrens; Mark W Woolrich; Stephen M Smith Journal: Neuroimage Date: 2011-09-16 Impact factor: 6.556
Authors: Philip R Szeszko; Suril Gohel; Daniel H Vaccaro; King-Wai Chu; Cheuk Y Tang; Kim E Goldstein; Antonia S New; Larry J Siever; Margaret McClure; M Mercedes Perez-Rodriguez; M Mehmet Haznedar; William Byne; Erin A Hazlett Journal: Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging Date: 2022-02-19 Impact factor: 2.493