3-D diffusion tensor axonal tracking shows distinct SMA and pre-SMA projections to the human striatum.

1. Cereb Cortex. 2004 Dec;14(12):1302-9. Epub 2004 May 27.

3-D diffusion tensor axonal tracking shows distinct SMA and pre-SMA projections
to the human striatum.

Lehéricy S(1), Ducros M, Krainik A, Francois C, Van de Moortele PF, Ugurbil K,
Kim DS.

Author information:
(1)Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota School,
Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Studies in non-human primates have shown that medial premotor projections to the
striatum are characterized as a set of distinct circuits conveying different type
of information. This study assesses the anatomical projections from the
supplementary motor area (SMA), pre-SMA and motor cortex (MC) to the human
striatum using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) axonal tracking. Eight right-handed
volunteers were studied at 1.5 T using DTI axonal tracking. A connectivity matrix
was computed, which tested for connections between cortical areas (MC, SMA and
pre-SMA) and subcortical areas (posterior, middle and anterior putamen and the
head of the caudate nucleus) in each hemisphere. Pre-SMA projections to the
striatum were located rostral to SMA projections to the striatum. The SMA and the
MC were similarly connected to the posterior and middle putamen and not to the
anterior striatum. These data show that the MC and SMA have connections with
similar parts of the sensorimotor compartment of the human striatum, whereas the
pre-SMA sends connections to more rostral parts of the striatum, including the
associative compartment.

DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhh091
PMID: 15166103 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Know more about