Basile Gianpaolo Antonio, Nozais Victor, Quartarone Angelo, Giustiniani Andreina, Ielo Augusto, Cerasa Antonio, Milardi Demetrio, Abdallah Majd, Thiebaut de Schotten Michel, Forkel Stephanie J, Cacciola Alberto
Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives-UMR 5293, CNRS, CEA, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.
Commun Biol. 2024 Dec 19;7(1):1655. doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-07274-3.
Traditionally, the frontotemporal arcuate fasciculus (AF) is viewed as a single entity in anatomo-clinical models. However, it is unclear if distinct cortical origin and termination patterns within this bundle correspond to specific language functions. We use track-weighted dynamic functional connectivity, a hybrid imaging technique, to study the AF structure and function in two distinct datasets of healthy subjects. Here we show that the AF can be subdivided based on dynamic changes in functional connectivity at the streamline endpoints. An unsupervised parcellation algorithm reveals spatially segregated subunits, which are then functionally quantified through meta-analysis. This approach identifies three distinct clusters within the AF - ventral, middle, and dorsal frontotemporal AF - each linked to different frontal and temporal termination regions and likely involved in various language production and comprehension aspects. Our findings may have relevant implications for the understanding of the functional anatomy of the AF as well as its contribution to linguistic and non-linguistic functions.
传统上，在解剖临床模型中，额颞弓状束（AF）被视为一个单一的实体。然而，尚不清楚该束内不同的皮质起源和终止模式是否对应于特定的语言功能。我们使用轨迹加权动态功能连接这一混合成像技术，在两个不同的健康受试者数据集中研究AF的结构和功能。在此我们表明，AF可以根据流线端点处功能连接的动态变化进行细分。一种无监督的分割算法揭示了空间上分离的亚单位，然后通过荟萃分析对其进行功能量化。这种方法在AF内识别出三个不同的簇——腹侧、中间和背侧额颞AF——每个簇都与不同的额叶和颞叶终止区域相连，并且可能参与各种语言产生和理解方面。我们的发现可能对理解AF的功能解剖及其对语言和非语言功能的贡献具有相关意义。
