Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Brain Struct Funct. 2012 Apr;217(2):503-15. doi: 10.1007/s00429-011-0344-7. Epub 2011 Sep 10.
The involvement of brain structures in specific cognitive functions is not straightforward. In order to characterize the brain micro-structural correlates of cognitive domains, 52 healthy subjects, age 25-82 years, completed a computerized neuropsychological battery and were scanned using magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging. Factor analysis of 44 different cognitive scores was performed, isolating three cognitive domains-executive function, information processing speed and memory. Partial correlation was conducted between DTI parameters and each of the three cognitive domains controlling for age and motor function. Regions showing significant correlations with cognitive domains are domain-specific and are consistent with previous knowledge. While executive function was correlated with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters in frontal white matter and in the superior longitudinal fasciculus, information processing speed was correlated with DTI parameters in the cingulum, corona radiata, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, parietal white matter and in the thalamus. Memory performance was correlated with DTI measures in temporal and frontal gray matter and white matter regions, including the cingulate cortex and the parahippocampus. Thus, inter-subject variability in cognitive performance and tissue morphology, as expressed by diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging, can be used to relate tissue microstructure with cognitive performance and to provide information to corroborate other functional localization techniques.
大脑结构在特定认知功能中的参与并不是直接的。为了描述认知领域的大脑微观结构相关性，52 名年龄在 25-82 岁的健康受试者完成了计算机神经心理学测试，并接受了磁共振扩散张量成像扫描。对 44 项不同认知评分进行了因子分析，分离出三个认知领域——执行功能、信息处理速度和记忆。对 DTI 参数与三个认知领域中的每一个进行了偏相关分析，控制了年龄和运动功能的影响。与认知领域相关的区域具有特定的领域特异性，与先前的知识一致。执行功能与额白质和上纵束的弥散张量成像（DTI）参数相关，而信息处理速度与扣带回、辐射冠、下纵束、顶叶白质和丘脑的 DTI 参数相关。记忆表现与颞叶和额叶灰质和白质区域的 DTI 测量相关，包括扣带回和海马旁回。因此，认知表现和弥散张量磁共振成像所表现出的个体间变异性可用于将组织微观结构与认知表现联系起来，并提供信息来佐证其他功能定位技术。
