A growing consensus has emerged in neuroscience, that white matter connections are the structural scaffolding of distributed networks that orchestrate higher cognitive functions (Catani & Thiebaut de Schotten, 2012). However, previous research has mainly focused on major white matter connections in isolation, and therefore a comprehensive and systematical mapping of all the white matter tracts and their relationship to function remains incomplete. Obtaining such an atlas is crucial to increasing our understanding of higher cognitive functions. Based on diffusion-weighted imaging data of 172 healthy participants from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) young adult dataset (age range 22-35 years, https://www.humanconnectome.org/), a normative statistical atlas of the whole-brain human connections in a stereotaxic space was built, using state-of-the-art spherical deconvolution tractography (Dell’Acqua & Tournier, 2019). A total of 39 interhemispheric, projection, intralobar, interlobar, and intergyral U-shaped tracts in both hemispheres were digitally manually dissected. A special emphasis was given to U-shaped fibers as they have not been comprehensively mapped in the literature. Thirteen neuropsychological assessments scores (e.g., memory, language, visuospatial attention) obtained from the HCP dataset were correlated to connectivity metrics to investigate the relationship between white matter anatomy and cognitive functions: preliminary results are presented. Having a complete atlas of all the human brain connections will advance neuroimaging analyses (e.g., fMRI) by identifying the tracts and networks involved in cognitive functions. Moreover, our data represent a new step in corroborating previous findings and accounting for inter-individual variability, though providing a new investigation of the functional role of poorly investigated white matter tracts, including U-shaped fibers. Our atlas will also guide clinicians in determining the mechanisms involved in brain recovery and plasticity and assist specialists in the diagnosis of disconnections or abnormalities within specific tracts of individual patients with brain diseases.

A growing consensus has emerged in neuroscience, that white matter connections are the structural scaffolding of distributed networks that orchestrate higher cognitive functions (Catani & Thiebaut de Schotten, 2012). However, previous research has mainly focused on major white matter connections in isolation, and therefore a comprehensive and systematical mapping of all the white matter tracts and their relationship to function remains incomplete. Obtaining such an atlas is crucial to increasing our understanding of higher cognitive functions. Based on diffusion-weighted imaging data of 172 healthy participants from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) young adult dataset (age range 22-35 years, https://www.humanconnectome.org/), a normative statistical atlas of the whole-brain human connections in a stereotaxic space was built, using state-of-the-art spherical deconvolution tractography (Dell’Acqua & Tournier, 2019). A total of 39 interhemispheric, projection, intralobar, interlobar, and intergyral U-shaped tracts in both hemispheres were digitally manually dissected. A special emphasis was given to U-shaped fibers as they have not been comprehensively mapped in the literature. Thirteen neuropsychological assessments scores (e.g., memory, language, visuospatial attention) obtained from the HCP dataset were correlated to connectivity metrics to investigate the relationship between white matter anatomy and cognitive functions: preliminary results are presented. Having a complete atlas of all the human brain connections will advance neuroimaging analyses (e.g., fMRI) by identifying the tracts and networks involved in cognitive functions. Moreover, our data represent a new step in corroborating previous findings and accounting for inter-individual variability, though providing a new investigation of the functional role of poorly investigated white matter tracts, including U-shaped fibers. Our atlas will also guide clinicians in determining the mechanisms involved in brain recovery and plasticity and assist specialists in the diagnosis of disconnections or abnormalities within specific tracts of individual patients with brain diseases.

An advanced atlas of human brain connections and their behavioural correlates

BORTOLAMI, CESARE
2021/2022

Abstract

A growing consensus has emerged in neuroscience, that white matter connections are the structural scaffolding of distributed networks that orchestrate higher cognitive functions (Catani & Thiebaut de Schotten, 2012). However, previous research has mainly focused on major white matter connections in isolation, and therefore a comprehensive and systematical mapping of all the white matter tracts and their relationship to function remains incomplete. Obtaining such an atlas is crucial to increasing our understanding of higher cognitive functions. Based on diffusion-weighted imaging data of 172 healthy participants from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) young adult dataset (age range 22-35 years, https://www.humanconnectome.org/), a normative statistical atlas of the whole-brain human connections in a stereotaxic space was built, using state-of-the-art spherical deconvolution tractography (Dell’Acqua & Tournier, 2019). A total of 39 interhemispheric, projection, intralobar, interlobar, and intergyral U-shaped tracts in both hemispheres were digitally manually dissected. A special emphasis was given to U-shaped fibers as they have not been comprehensively mapped in the literature. Thirteen neuropsychological assessments scores (e.g., memory, language, visuospatial attention) obtained from the HCP dataset were correlated to connectivity metrics to investigate the relationship between white matter anatomy and cognitive functions: preliminary results are presented. Having a complete atlas of all the human brain connections will advance neuroimaging analyses (e.g., fMRI) by identifying the tracts and networks involved in cognitive functions. Moreover, our data represent a new step in corroborating previous findings and accounting for inter-individual variability, though providing a new investigation of the functional role of poorly investigated white matter tracts, including U-shaped fibers. Our atlas will also guide clinicians in determining the mechanisms involved in brain recovery and plasticity and assist specialists in the diagnosis of disconnections or abnormalities within specific tracts of individual patients with brain diseases.
2021
An advanced atlas of human brain connections and their behavioural correlates
A growing consensus has emerged in neuroscience, that white matter connections are the structural scaffolding of distributed networks that orchestrate higher cognitive functions (Catani & Thiebaut de Schotten, 2012). However, previous research has mainly focused on major white matter connections in isolation, and therefore a comprehensive and systematical mapping of all the white matter tracts and their relationship to function remains incomplete. Obtaining such an atlas is crucial to increasing our understanding of higher cognitive functions. Based on diffusion-weighted imaging data of 172 healthy participants from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) young adult dataset (age range 22-35 years, https://www.humanconnectome.org/), a normative statistical atlas of the whole-brain human connections in a stereotaxic space was built, using state-of-the-art spherical deconvolution tractography (Dell’Acqua & Tournier, 2019). A total of 39 interhemispheric, projection, intralobar, interlobar, and intergyral U-shaped tracts in both hemispheres were digitally manually dissected. A special emphasis was given to U-shaped fibers as they have not been comprehensively mapped in the literature. Thirteen neuropsychological assessments scores (e.g., memory, language, visuospatial attention) obtained from the HCP dataset were correlated to connectivity metrics to investigate the relationship between white matter anatomy and cognitive functions: preliminary results are presented. Having a complete atlas of all the human brain connections will advance neuroimaging analyses (e.g., fMRI) by identifying the tracts and networks involved in cognitive functions. Moreover, our data represent a new step in corroborating previous findings and accounting for inter-individual variability, though providing a new investigation of the functional role of poorly investigated white matter tracts, including U-shaped fibers. Our atlas will also guide clinicians in determining the mechanisms involved in brain recovery and plasticity and assist specialists in the diagnosis of disconnections or abnormalities within specific tracts of individual patients with brain diseases.
White matter
Atlas
Tractography
U-shaped tracts
Cognitive assessment
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Bortolami_Cesare.pdf

accesso riservato

Dimensione 24.9 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
24.9 MB Adobe PDF

The text of this website © Università degli studi di Padova. Full Text are published under a non-exclusive license. Metadata are under a CC0 License

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/35638