Howells Henrietta, Puglisi Guglielmo, Leonetti Antonella, Vigano Luca, Fornia Luca, Simone Luciano, Forkel Stephanie J, Rossi Marco, Riva Marco, Cerri Gabriella, Bello Lorenzo
MoCA Laboratory, Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Universita`degli Studi di Milano, Humanitas Research Hospital, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
MoCA Laboratory, Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Universita`degli Studi di Milano, Humanitas Research Hospital, IRCCS, Milan, Italy; Neurosurgical Oncology Unit, Humanitas Clinical and Research Centre, IRCCS, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.
Cortex. 2020 Jul;128:297-311. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.03.018. Epub 2020 Apr 10.
Strong right-hand preference on the population level is a uniquely human feature, although its neural basis is still not clearly defined. Recent behavioural and neuroimaging literature suggests that hand preference may be related to the orchestrated function and size of fronto-parietal white matter tracts bilaterally. Lesions to these tracts induced during tumour resection may provide an opportunity to test this hypothesis. In the present study, a cohort of seventeen neurosurgical patients with left hemisphere brain tumours were recruited to investigate whether resection of certain white matter tracts affects the choice of hand selected for the execution of a goal-directed task (assembly of jigsaw puzzles). Patients performed the puzzles, but also tests for basic motor ability, selective attention and visuo-constructional ability, preoperatively and one month after surgery. An atlas-based disconnectome analysis was conducted to evaluate whether resection of tracts was significantly associated with changes in hand selection. Diffusion tractography was also used to dissect fronto-parietal tracts (the superior longitudinal fasciculus) and the corticospinal tract. Results showed a shift in hand selection despite the absence of any motor or cognitive deficits, which was significantly associated with frontal and parietal resections rather than other lobes. In particular, the shift in hand selection was significantly associated with the resection of dorsal rather than ventral fronto-parietal white matter connections. Dorsal white matter pathways contribute bilaterally to control of goal-directed hand movements. We show that unilateral lesions, that may unbalance the cooperation of the two hemispheres, can alter the choice of hand selected to accomplish movements.
在人群层面上强烈的右手偏好是人类独有的特征，尽管其神经基础仍未明确界定。最近的行为学和神经影像学文献表明，手偏好可能与双侧额顶叶白质束的协同功能和大小有关。肿瘤切除过程中对这些束造成的损伤可能为检验这一假设提供机会。在本研究中，招募了一组17名患有左半球脑肿瘤的神经外科患者，以调查切除某些白质束是否会影响执行目标导向任务（拼拼图）时所选择的手。患者在术前和术后1个月进行了拼图，以及基本运动能力、选择性注意力和视觉构建能力测试。进行了基于图谱的脑网络连接分析，以评估束的切除是否与手选择的变化显著相关。弥散张量成像也被用于剖析额顶叶束（上纵束）和皮质脊髓束。结果显示，尽管没有任何运动或认知缺陷，但手选择发生了变化，这与额叶和顶叶切除显著相关，而非其他脑叶。特别是，手选择的变化与背侧而非腹侧额顶叶白质连接的切除显著相关。背侧白质通路在双侧对目标导向的手部运动控制起作用。我们表明，可能使两个半球合作失衡的单侧损伤会改变为完成运动而选择的手。
