Arrigo A, Mormina E, Calamuneri A, Gaeta M, Granata F, Marino S, Anastasi G P, Milardi D, Quartarone A
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria 1, 98125, Messina, Italy.
Department of Neurosciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Clin Neuroradiol. 2017 Sep;27(3):275-281. doi: 10.1007/s00062-015-0492-x. Epub 2015 Dec 22.
Complex claustral connection network was widely demonstrated both in humans and animals. Moreover, several studies have suggested that claustral connections directly involve also the contralateral hemisphere. Detection of contralateral cortico-claustral and inter-claustral connections was reported mainly in animals and only partially in humans. The main purpose of this study was to provide more robust tractography-driven support of the existence of inter-hemispheric claustral connections in humans, by means of a dedicated optimized tractographic protocol.
Fifteen healthy subjects were examined by means of an advanced magnetic resonance imaging-based probabilistic constrained spherical deconvolution tractographic protocol. Moreover, quantitative diffusion parameters were extracted by each reconstructed pathway.
In this study, further imaging-based support on the possible existence in humans of contralateral cortico-claustral and inter-claustral connections was provided. These connections were found to involve almost all the superior portion of each claustrum, showing a topographical organization. Moreover, the detection of inter-claustral connections passing through the anterior commissure was reported, for the first time, in humans.
The possible existence of inter-claustral and cortico-claustral contralateral pathways might provide the morphological basis for the complex functional phenomena observed in previous studies. Furthermore, these connections might have several important clinical implications, since they might explain how the inter-hemispheric coordination governed by the claustrum, as well as the functional recovery subsequent to damages involving one claustrum, takes place.
复杂的屏状核连接网络在人类和动物中均得到广泛证实。此外，多项研究表明屏状核连接也直接涉及对侧半球。对侧皮质-屏状核和屏状核间连接的检测主要在动物中报道，在人类中仅有部分报道。本研究的主要目的是通过专门优化的纤维束成像协议，为人类半球间屏状核连接的存在提供更有力的纤维束成像驱动支持。
采用基于先进磁共振成像的概率约束球面反卷积纤维束成像协议对15名健康受试者进行检查。此外，从每条重建路径中提取定量扩散参数。
本研究为人类中可能存在的对侧皮质-屏状核和屏状核间连接提供了进一步的基于成像的支持。发现这些连接几乎涉及每个屏状核的所有上部，呈现出一种拓扑组织。此外，首次在人类中报道了通过前连合的屏状核间连接的检测。
屏状核间和皮质-屏状核对侧通路的可能存在可能为先前研究中观察到的复杂功能现象提供形态学基础。此外，这些连接可能具有若干重要的临床意义，因为它们可能解释由屏状核控制的半球间协调以及涉及一个屏状核的损伤后的功能恢复是如何发生的。
