White matter connectivity of human hypothalamus

Abstract The macroscopic extrinsic white matter connectivity and the internal structure of the hypothalamus are still incompletely defined in humans. We investigated whether in-vivo diffusion tensor imaging tractography provides evidence of systematization according to hypothalamic compartmentalizat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain research 2011-01, Vol.1371, p.43-64
Main Authors: Lemaire, Jean-Jacques, Frew, Andrew J, McArthur, David, Gorgulho, Alessandra A, Alger, Jeffry R, Salomon, Noriko, Chen, Clive, Behnke, Eric J, De Salles, Antonio A.F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Anatomy
Axons - ultrastructure
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - ultrastructure
Central nervous system
Connectivity
Diffusion Tensor Imaging
DTI
Essential Tremor - pathology
Fascicle
Female
Fiber tracking
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Hypothalamus
Hypothalamus - ultrastructure
Male
Middle Aged
Nerve Fibers - ultrastructure
Neural Pathways - ultrastructure
Neurology
Parkinson Disease - pathology
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
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Summary:Abstract The macroscopic extrinsic white matter connectivity and the internal structure of the hypothalamus are still incompletely defined in humans. We investigated whether in-vivo diffusion tensor imaging tractography provides evidence of systematization according to hypothalamic compartmentalization. Six defined hypothalamic macroscopic compartments, preoptic, supraoptic, anteroventral, anterodorsal, lateral and posterior, were probed, within the right and left hemispheres of 14 subjects. Important new insights into the macroscopic structure of hypothalamus and white matter connections were found; the preoptic, anteroventral, lateral and posterior compartments are strongly connected to the cortex. The anteroventral connects particularly to the prefrontal cortex while the preoptic compartment connects mainly to the deep anterior brain. The anterodorsal connects mainly to the medial thalamus and the midline gray matter. There is a rightward frontal trend of hemispheric connectivity for the preoptic, anteroventral and lateral compartments. These findings may aid new neuromodulation applications and understanding in brain connectomics.
ISSN:0006-8993
1872-6240
DOI:10.1016/j.brainres.2010.11.072