1
|
Tagliaferri M, Amorosino G, Voltolini L, Giampiccolo D, Avesani P, Cattaneo L. A revision of the dorsal origin of the frontal aslant tract (FAT) in the superior frontal gyrus: a DWI-tractographic study. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:987-999. [PMID: 38502328 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02778-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The frontal aslant tract (FAT) is a white matter tract connecting the superior frontal gyrus (SFG) to the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Its dorsal origin is identified in humans in the medial wall of the SFG, in the supplementary motor complex (SM-complex). However, empirical observation shows that many FAT fibres appear to originate from the dorsal, rather than medial, portion of the SFG. We quantitatively investigated the actual origin of FAT fibres in the SFG, specifically discriminating between terminations in the medial wall and in the convexity of the SFG. We analysed data from 105 subjects obtained from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) database. We parcelled the cortex of the IFG, dorsal SFG and medial SFG in several regions of interest (ROIs) ordered in a caudal-rostral direction, which served as seed locations for the generation of streamlines. Diffusion imaging data (DWI) was processed using a multi-shell multi-tissue CSD-based algorithm. Results showed that the number of streamlines originating from the dorsal wall of the SFG significantly exceeds those from the medial wall of the SFG. Connectivity patterns between ROIs indicated that FAT sub-bundles are segregated in parallel circuits ordered in a caudal-rostral direction. Such high degree of coherence in the streamline trajectory allows to establish pairs of homologous cortical parcels in the SFG and IFG. We conclude that the frontal origin of the FAT is found in both dorsal and medial surfaces of the superior frontal gyrus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Tagliaferri
- Centro Interdipartimentale Mente e Cervello (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Gabriele Amorosino
- Centro Interdipartimentale Mente e Cervello (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Neuroinformatics Laboratory, Center for Digital Health & Well Being, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento, Italy
| | - Linda Voltolini
- Centro Interdipartimentale Mente e Cervello (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Davide Giampiccolo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Victor Horsley Department of Neurosurgery, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK
- Institute of Neuroscience, Cleveland Clinic London, Grosvenor Place, London, UK
| | - Paolo Avesani
- Centro Interdipartimentale Mente e Cervello (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Neuroinformatics Laboratory, Center for Digital Health & Well Being, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento, Italy
| | - Luigi Cattaneo
- Centro Interdipartimentale Mente e Cervello (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
- Centro Interdipartimentale di Scienze Mediche (CISMed) - University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC) - Center for Medical Sciences (CISMed), University of Trento Center for Medical Sciences (CISMed), Via delle Regole 101, Trento, 38123, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
La Corte E, Eldahaby D, Greco E, Aquino D, Bertolini G, Levi V, Ottenhausen M, Demichelis G, Romito LM, Acerbi F, Broggi M, Schiariti MP, Ferroli P, Bruzzone MG, Serrao G. The Frontal Aslant Tract: A Systematic Review for Neurosurgical Applications. Front Neurol 2021; 12:641586. [PMID: 33732210 PMCID: PMC7959833 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.641586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The frontal aslant tract (FAT) is a recently identified white matter tract connecting the supplementary motor complex and lateral superior frontal gyrus to the inferior frontal gyrus. Advancements in neuroimaging and refinements to anatomical dissection techniques of the human brain white matter contributed to the recent description of the FAT anatomical and functional connectivity and its role in the pathogenesis of several neurological, psychiatric, and neurosurgical disorders. Through the application of diffusion tractography and intraoperative electrical brain stimulation, the FAT was shown to have a role in speech and language functions (verbal fluency, initiation and inhibition of speech, sentence production, and lexical decision), working memory, visual–motor activities, orofacial movements, social community tasks, attention, and music processing. Microstructural alterations of the FAT have also been associated with neurological disorders, such as primary progressive aphasia, post-stroke aphasia, stuttering, Foix–Chavany–Marie syndrome, social communication deficit in autism spectrum disorders, and attention–deficit hyperactivity disorder. We provide a systematic review of the current literature about the FAT anatomical connectivity and functional roles. Specifically, the aim of the present study relies on providing an overview for practical neurosurgical applications for the pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative assessment of patients with brain tumors located around and within the FAT. Moreover, some useful tests are suggested for the neurosurgical evaluation of FAT integrity to plan a safer surgery and to reduce post-operative deficits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele La Corte
- Department of Neurosurgery, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniela Eldahaby
- San Paolo Medical School, Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Greco
- San Paolo Medical School, Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Domenico Aquino
- Neuroradiology Department, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Giacomo Bertolini
- Department of Neurosurgery, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Levi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Malte Ottenhausen
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Greta Demichelis
- Neuroradiology Department, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Luigi Michele Romito
- Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Acerbi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Morgan Broggi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Paolo Schiariti
- Department of Neurosurgery, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Ferroli
- Department of Neurosurgery, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Bruzzone
- Neuroradiology Department, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Graziano Serrao
- San Paolo Medical School, Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Walker GM, Rollo PS, Tandon N, Hickok G. Effect of Bilateral Opercular Syndrome on Speech Perception. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2021; 2:335-353. [PMID: 37213256 PMCID: PMC10158595 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Speech perception ability and structural neuroimaging were investigated in two cases of bilateral opercular syndrome. Due to bilateral ablation of the motor control center for the lower face and surrounds, these rare cases provide an opportunity to evaluate the necessity of cortical motor representations for speech perception, a cornerstone of some neurocomputational theories of language processing. Speech perception, including audiovisual integration (i.e., the McGurk effect), was mostly unaffected in these cases, although verbal short-term memory impairment hindered performance on several tasks that are traditionally used to evaluate speech perception. The results suggest that the role of the cortical motor system in speech perception is context-dependent and supplementary, not inherent or necessary.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grant M. Walker
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine
- * Corresponding Author:
| | | | - Nitin Tandon
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Medical School at Houston
| | - Gregory Hickok
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine
- Department of Language Science, University of California, Irvine
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Morgan AT, Su M, Reilly S, Conti-Ramsden G, Connelly A, Liégeois FJ. A Brain Marker for Developmental Speech Disorders. J Pediatr 2018; 198:234-239.e1. [PMID: 29705112 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.02.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Revised: 01/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To characterize the organization of speech- and language-related white matter tracts in children with developmental speech and/or language disorders. STUDY DESIGN We collected magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging data from 41 children, ages 9-11 years, with developmental speech and/or language disorders, and compared them with 45 typically developing controls with the same age range. We used probabilistic tractography of diffusion-weighted imaging to map language (3 segments of arcuate fasciculus, extreme capsule system) and speech motor (corticobulbar) tracts bilaterally. The corticospinal and callosal tracts were used as control regions. We compared the mean fractional anisotropy and diffusivity values between atypical and control groups, covarying for nonverbal IQ. We then examined differences between atypical subgroups: developmental speech disorder (DSD), developmental language disorder, and co-occurring developmental speech and language disorder. RESULTS Fractional anisotropy in the left corticobulbar tract was lower in the DSD than in the control group. Radial and mean diffusivity were higher in the DSD than the developmental language disorder, co-occurring developmental speech and language disorder, or control groups. There were no group differences for any metrics in the language or control tracts. CONCLUSIONS Atypical development of the left corticobulbar tract may be a neural marker for DSD. This finding is in line with reports of speech disorder after left corticobulbar damage in children and adults with brain injury. By contrast, we found no association between diffusion metrics in language-related tracts in developmental language disorder, and changes for language disorders are likely more complex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Angela T Morgan
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; University of Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Merina Su
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Sheena Reilly
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia
| | | | - Alan Connelly
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Luders E, Kurth F, Pigdon L, Conti-Ramsden G, Reilly S, Morgan AT. Atypical Callosal Morphology in Children with Speech Sound Disorder. Neuroscience 2017; 367:211-218. [PMID: 29102664 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.10.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Speech sound disorder (SSD) is common, yet its neurobiology is poorly understood. Recent studies indicate atypical structural and functional anomalies either in one hemisphere or both hemispheres, which might be accompanied by alterations in inter-hemispheric connectivity. Indeed, abnormalities of the corpus callosum - the main fiber tract connecting the two hemispheres - have been linked to speech and language deficits in associated disorders, such as stuttering, dyslexia, aphasia, etc. However, there is a dearth of studies examining the corpus callosum in SSD. Here, we investigated whether a sample of 18 children with SSD differed in callosal morphology from 18 typically developing children carefully matched for age. Significantly reduced dimensions of the corpus callosum, particularly in the callosal anterior third, were observed in children with SSD. These findings indicating pronounced callosal aberrations in SSD make an important contribution to an understudied field of research and may suggest that SSD is accompanied by atypical lateralization of speech and language function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eileen Luders
- Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA; Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Florian Kurth
- Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Lauren Pigdon
- Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Gina Conti-Ramsden
- Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; The University of Manchester and Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC), Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Sheena Reilly
- Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Menzies Health Institute at Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Angela T Morgan
- Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|