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Exploring the Relationship between Gray and White Matter in Healthy Adults: A Hybrid Research of Cortical Reconstruction and Tractography.

ABSTRACT: The gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) are structurally and functionally related in the human brain. Among the numerous neuroimaging studies, yet only a few have investigated these two structures in the same sample. So, there is limited and inconsistent information about how they are correlated in the brain of healthy adults. In this study, we combined cortical reconstruction with diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI) tractography to investigate the relationship between cortical morphology and microstructural properties of major WM tracts in 163 healthy young adults. The results showed that cortical thickness (CTh) was positively correlated with the coherent tract-wise fractional anisotropy (FA) value, and the correlation was stronger in the dorsal areas than in the ventral areas. For other diffusion parameters, CTh was positively correlated with axial diffusivity (AD) of coherent fibers in the frontal areas and negatively correlated with radial diffusivity (RD) of coherent fibers in the dorsal areas. These findings suggest that the correlation between GM and WM is inhomogeneity and could be interpreted with different mechanisms in different brain regions. We hope our research could provide new insights into the studies of diseases in which the GM and WM are both affected.

SUBMITTER: Zhao Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7979294 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Despite a better understanding of brain language organization into large-scale cortical networks, the underlying white matter (WM) connectivity is still not mastered. Here we combined diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) fiber tracking (FT) and language functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in twenty healthy subjects to gain new insights into the macroscopic structural connectivity of language. Eight putative WM fascicles for language were probed using a deterministic DTI-FT technique: the arcuate fascicle (AF), superior longitudinal fascicle (SLF), uncinate fascicle (UF), temporo-occipital fascicle, inferior fronto-occipital fascicle (IFOF), middle longitudinal fascicle (MdLF), frontal aslant fascicle and operculopremotor fascicle. Specific measurements (i.e. volume, length, fractional anisotropy) and precise cortical terminations were derived for each WM fascicle within both hemispheres. Connections between these WM fascicles and fMRI activations were studied to determine which WM fascicles are related to language. WM fascicle volumes showed asymmetries: leftward for the AF, temporoparietal segment of SLF and UF, and rightward for the frontoparietal segment of the SLF. The lateralization of the AF, IFOF and MdLF extended to differences in patterns of anatomical connections, which may relate to specific hemispheric abilities. The leftward asymmetry of the AF was correlated to the leftward asymmetry of fMRI activations, suggesting that the lateralization of the AF is a structural substrate of hemispheric language dominance. We found consistent connections between fMRI activations and terminations of the eight WM fascicles, providing a detailed description of the language connectome. WM fascicle terminations were also observed beyond fMRI-confirmed language areas and reached numerous cortical areas involved in different functional brain networks. These findings suggest that the reported WM fascicles are not exclusively involved in language and might be related to other cognitive functions such as visual recognition, spatial attention, executive functions, memory, and processing of emotional and behavioral aspects.

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Exploring the Relationship between Gray and White Matter in Healthy Adults: A Hybrid Research of Cortical Reconstruction and Tractography.

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