Abstract
IntroductionInterest in the function of the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) has resulted in increased understanding of its involvement in visuospatial and cognitive functioning, and its role in semantic networks. A basic understanding of the nuanced white‐matter anatomy in this region may be useful in improving outcomes when operating in this region of the brain. We sought to derive the surgical relationship between the IPL and underlying major white‐matter bundles by characterizing macroscopic connectivity.MethodsData of 10 healthy adult controls from the Human Connectome Project were used for tractography analysis. All IPL connections were mapped in both hemispheres, and distances were recorded between cortical landmarks and major tracts. Ten postmortem dissections were then performed using a modified Klingler technique to serve as ground truth.ResultsWe identified three major types of connections of the IPL. (1) Short association fibers connect the supramarginal and angular gyri, and connect both of these gyri to the superior parietal lobule. (2) Fiber bundles from the IPL connect to the frontal lobe by joining the superior longitudinal fasciculus near the termination of the Sylvian fissure. (3) Fiber bundles from the IPL connect to the temporal lobe by joining the middle longitudinal fasciculus just inferior to the margin of the superior temporal sulcus.ConclusionsWe present a summary of the relevant anatomy of the IPL as part of a larger effort to understand the anatomic connections of related networks. This study highlights the principle white‐matter pathways and highlights key underlying connections.
Highlights
| INTRODUCTIONAdvances in neuroscience have created an emphasis on network connectivity in understanding brain function (Wang et al, 2015)
Interest in the function of the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) has resulted in increased understanding of its involvement in visuospatial and cognitive functioning, and its role in semantic networks
(3) Fiber bundles from the IPL connect to the temporal lobe by joining the middle longitudinal fasciculus just inferior to the margin of the superior temporal sulcus
Summary
Advances in neuroscience have created an emphasis on network connectivity in understanding brain function (Wang et al, 2015). Over the last several years, the major cortico-cortical pathways associated within these regions have become increasingly well- characterized (Chang, Raygor, & Berger, 2015). The middle longitudinal fasciculus (MdLF) is less characterized anatomically and functionally, but is involved in the semantic network (Caverzasi et al, 2015) Each of these bundles likely participates in normal cognitive processes, though the exact process by which information flows between relevant cortices is not well understood. We used diffusion tractography to characterize the macroscopic connectivity of the networks associated with the IPL, followed by gross anatomical dissection as ground truth This is the first study that characterizes the nuanced anatomy of white matter connections between associated cortical areas in a way that may be of relevance to neurosurgeons attempting to preserve the neuronal networks dependent on connections in this region of the brain
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