Is the length of the calcarine sulcus associated with the size of the human visual cortex? A morphometric study with magnetic resonance tomography.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the length and depth of the calcarine sulcus are associated and can be used for estimating the size of the primary visual area (area 17) and other regions in MR images of the human occipital lobe.
METHODS: The length and depth of the calcarine sulcus and the projection areas of the mesial surface of the occipital lobe and of the total hemisphere were measured in MR images of 23 healthy subjects.
RESULTS: A higher variability of the size of the projection area of the mesial surface of the occipital lobe compared with that of the remaining part of the hemisphere is found. The projection area of the mesial cortical surface of the occipital lobe is correlated with the length of the calcarine sulcus, but both parameters are not correlated with the depth of the calcarine sulcus and, therefore, also not with the size of the part of area 17 buried in the sulcus.
CONCLUSION: The size of area 17 cannot be estimated by the length of the calcarine sulcus in MR images. Depth and length of the calcarine sulcus grow independently in the human brain. Different degrees of folding may cause the variability of architectonic areas.