Identification of the medial lemniscus in the human brain: Combined study of functional MRI and diffusion tensor tractography

doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2009.04.058

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 459, Issue 1, 31 July 2009, Pages 19-24

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2009.04.058 Get rights and content

Abstract

The medial lemniscus (ML) plays a critical role in sensory function and skillful movement. Using combined functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor tractography (DTT), we attempted to identify the ML pathway and quantify the characteristics of the ML compared to the corticospinal tract (CST). Eleven young healthy subjects without any history of neurological disorder were recruited for this study. For tracking of the ML, a seed region of interest (ROI) was determined using the fMRI activation in the primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1) following proprioceptive input, and a target ROI was given in the ML area of the pons. We were able to locate the ML in 9 out of 11 subjects. All ML started from the ML area just posterior to the transpontine fiber in the pons, and ascended to the SM1 posterolaterally to the cerebral peduncle of the midbrain, the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC), and the corona radiata along with the CST. The fractional anisotropy (FA) value of the ML was similar to that of the CST. We could identify the ML pathway in the human brain using the combined fMRI/DTT method. These results and technique will be helpful for research about the ML in the human brain.

Section snippets

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by a grant of the Korea Healthcare Technology R&D Project, Ministry for Health, Welfare & Family Affairs, Republic of Korea (A084177). We appreciate Dr Kim Dae-Shik (Boston university) for his help.

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Identification of the medial lemniscus in the human brain: Combined study of functional MRI and diffusion tensor tractography

Abstract

Section snippets

Acknowledgement

Neuroimage

Neuroimage

Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil.

Neuroimage

Neuroimage

Neuroimage

Brain Res. Brain Res. Rev.

Curr. Opin. Neurobiol.

Neuropsychologia

Neuroimage

Neuroimage

Neuroimage

Neuroimage

Focal lesions of the corticospinal tract demonstrated by diffusion tensor imaging in patients with diffuse axonal injury

NeuroRehabilitation

Characterization and propagation of uncertainty in diffusion-weighted MR imaging

Magn. Reson. Med.

Prediction of arm and hand function recovery in stroke patients

Int. J. Rehabil. Res.

The human thalamocortical sensory path in the internal capsule: evidence from a small capsular hemorrhage causing a pure sensory stroke

Ann. Neurol.

Anatomical parcellation of the brainstem and cerebellar white matter: a preliminary probabilistic tractography study at 3 T

Neuroradiology

Diffusion tensor imaging of brainstem tumors: axonal degeneration of motor and sensory tracts

J. Neurosurg. Pediatr.