Latini Francesco
Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, S. Anna University Hospital, Ferrara, Italy,
Neurosurg Rev. 2015 Jan;38(1):179-89; discussion 189-90. doi: 10.1007/s10143-014-0583-1. Epub 2014 Oct 17.
Recent anatomical and DTI data demonstrated new aspects in the subcortical occipito-temporal connections. Although a direct (inferior longitudinal fasciculus, ILF) pathway has been previously described, its fine description is still matter of debate. Moreover, a fast and direct subcortical connection between the limbic system and the occipital lobe has been previously recognized in many functional studies but it still remains poorly documented by anatomical images. We provided for the first time an extensive and detailed anatomical description of the ILF subcortical segmentation. We dissected four human hemispheres with modified Klingler's technique, from the basal to the lateral occipito-temporal surface in the two steps, tracking the ILF fibers until their cortical termination. Pictures of this direct temporo-occipital pathway are discussed in the light of recent literature regarding anatomy and functions of occipito-temporal areas. The dissection confirmed the classical originating branches of ILF and allowed a fine description of two main subcomponent of this bundle, both characterized by separate hierarchical distribution: a dorsal ILF and a ventral ILF. Moreover, a direct pathway between lingual cortex and amygdala, not previously demonstrated, is here described with anatomical images. Even if preliminary in results, this is the first fine description of ILF's subcomponents. The complex but clearly segregated organization of the fibers of this bundle (dILF and vILF) supports different level of functions mediated by visual recognition. Moreover, the newly described direct pathway from lingual to amygdala (Li-Am), seems involved in the limbic modulation of visual processing, so it may support physiological conditions the crucial role of this connection in human social cognition. In pathological conditions, on the other hand, this may be one of the hyperactivated pathways in temporo-occipital epileptic and nonepileptic syndromes.
近期的解剖学和扩散张量成像（DTI）数据揭示了皮质下枕颞连接的新情况。尽管之前已描述过一条直接通路（下纵束，ILF），但其详细描述仍存在争议。此外，在许多功能研究中，先前已认识到边缘系统与枕叶之间存在快速且直接的皮质下连接，但解剖图像对其记录仍不充分。我们首次对ILF的皮质下分段进行了广泛而详细的解剖学描述。我们采用改良的克林格勒技术解剖了四个大脑半球，分两步从基底到外侧枕颞表面，追踪ILF纤维直至其皮质终点。结合近期关于枕颞区域解剖学和功能的文献，讨论了这条直接颞枕通路的图片。解剖结果证实了ILF的经典起始分支，并对该束的两个主要子成分进行了详细描述，二者均具有独立的分层分布特征：背侧ILF和腹侧ILF。此外，本文通过解剖图像描述了舌状皮质与杏仁核之间一条此前未被证实的直接通路。即便结果尚属初步，但这是对ILF子成分的首次详细描述。该束纤维（背侧ILF和腹侧ILF）复杂但明显分离的组织结构支持了由视觉识别介导的不同层次功能。此外，新描述的从舌状皮质到杏仁核的直接通路（Li-Am）似乎参与了视觉处理的边缘调节，因此它可能支持了这种连接在人类社会认知中的关键作用这一生理状况。另一方面，在病理情况下，这可能是颞枕癫痫和非癫痫综合征中过度激活的通路之一。
