Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate School of Rehabilitation Science, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea.
Neuroradiology. 2011 Aug;53(8):623-6. doi: 10.1007/s00234-011-0858-y. Epub 2011 May 3.
Several animal studies have been conducted for the identification of the mammillotegmental tract (MTT); however, no study has been reported in the human brain.
In the current study, using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT), we attempted to identify the MTT in the human brain. We recruited 31 healthy volunteers for this study. Diffusion tensor images were acquired using 1.5 T, and the MTT was obtained using a probabilistic tractography method based on a multi-fiber model. Values of fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, and tract volume of the MTT were measured.
MTTs of all subjects, which originated from the mammillary body, ascended posteriorly to the bicommissural level along the third ventricle and then turned caudally and terminated at the tegmentum of the midbrain. No significant differences were observed in terms of fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, and tract volume according to hemisphere and sex (P < 0.05). Using DTT, we identified the MTT in the human brain.
We believe that the methodology and results of this study would be helpful in research on the MTT in the human brain.
已有多项动物研究致力于鉴定哺乳动物结节乳头束（MTT）；然而，在人类大脑中尚未有研究报道。
在目前的研究中，我们使用弥散张量成像（DTI）技术尝试在人类大脑中识别 MTT。我们招募了 31 名健康志愿者参与此项研究。使用 1.5T 磁共振扫描仪采集弥散张量图像，采用基于多纤维模型的概率追踪方法获得 MTT。测量 MTT 的各向异性分数、平均扩散系数和束径体积。
所有受试者的 MTT 均起源于乳头体，沿第三脑室向后上升至连合间水平，然后向后下走行终止于中脑被盖。根据半球和性别，MTT 的各向异性分数、平均扩散系数和束径体积无显著差异（P<0.05）。我们通过 DTI 技术在人类大脑中识别出了 MTT。
我们认为本研究的方法和结果有助于研究人类大脑中的 MTT。
