Comparison of functional and cytoarchitectonic maps of human visual areas V1, V2, V3d, V3v, and V4(v).

Cytoarchitectonic maps of human striate and extrastriate visual cortex based upon post-mortem brains can be correlated with functionally defined cortical areas using, for example, fMRI. We here assess the correspondence of anatomical maps of the visual cortex with functionally defined in vivo visual areas using retinotopic mapping. To this end, anatomical maximum probability maps (aMPM) derived from individual cytoarchitectonic maps of striate and extrastriate visual areas were compared with functional localisers for the early visual areas. Using fMRI, we delineated dorsal and ventral human retinotopic areas V1, V2, and V3, as well as a quarter-field visual field representation lateral to V3v, V4(v), in 24 healthy subjects. Based on these individual definitions, a functional maximum probability map (fMPM) was then computed in analogy to the aMPM. Functional and anatomical MPMs were highly correlated at group level: 78.5% of activated voxels in the fMPM were correctly assigned by the aMPM. The group aMPM was less effective in predicting functional retinotopic areas in the individual brain due to the large inter-individual variability in the location and extent of visual areas (mean overlap 32-69%). We conclude that cytoarchitectonic maps of striate and extrastriate visual areas may provide a valuable method for assigning functional group activations and thus add valuable a priori knowledge to the analysis of functional imaging data of the visual cortex.

Deformation field morphometry reveals age-related structural differences between the brains of adults up to 51 years.

Age-related differences in the anatomical structure of the brains from 51 healthy male subjects (age: 18-51 years) were analyzed by deformation field morphometry in a cross-sectional study. The magnetic resonance images of the brains were nonlinearly registered onto the image of a reference brain: the registration algorithm simulated an elastic deformation of each brain (source brain) so that the voxelwise intensity differences with the reference brain were minimized. A three-dimensional deformation field was calculated for each source brain that encoded the anatomical differences between the source brain and the reference brain. Maps of voxelwise volume differences between each subject's brain and the reference brain were analyzed. They showed age-related differences in anatomically defined regions of interest. Major volume decreases were found in the white matter and nuclei of the cerebellum, as well as in the ventral thalamic nuclei and the somatosensory and motor cortices, including the underlying white matter. These findings suggest that aging between the second and sixth decade predominantly affects subcortical nuclei and cortical areas of the sensorimotor system, forming the cortico-rubro-cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway. Additionally, a pronounced age-related decline in volume was observed in the rostral anterior cingulate, orbitofrontal, and lateral prefrontal cortices. Almost no differences were observed in the occipital and temporal lobes. The ventricles showed a pronounced widening. Remarkably, these volume differences occur at a relatively early period of the human life span. It may be speculated that these structural differences accompany or precede differences in sensorimotor functions and behavior.

Analysis of lesions in patients with unilateral tactile agnosia using cytoarchitectonic probabilistic maps.

We propose a novel methodical approach to lesion analyses involving high-resolution MR images in combination with probabilistic cytoarchitectonic maps. 3D-MR images of the whole brain and the manually segmented lesion mask are spatially normalized to the reference brain of a stereotaxic probabilistic cytoarchitectonic atlas using a multiscale registration algorithm based on an elastic model. The procedure is demonstrated in three patients suffering from aperceptive tactile agnosia of the right hand due to chronic infarction of the left parietal cortex. Patient 1 presents a lesion in areas of the postcentral sulcus, Patient 3 in areas of the superior parietal lobule and adjacent intraparietal sulcus, and Patient 2 lesions in both regions. On the basis of neurobehavioral data, we conjectured degradation of sequential elementary sensory information processing within the postcentral gyrus, impeding texture recognition in Patients 1 and 2, and disturbed kinaesthetic information processing in the posterior parietal lobe, causing degraded shape recognition in the patients 2 and 3. The involvement of Brodmann areas 4a, 4p, 3a, 3b, 1, 2, and areas IP1 and IP2 of the intraparietal sulcus was assessed in terms of the voxel overlap between the spatially transformed lesion masks and the 50%-isocontours of the cytoarchitectonic maps. The disruption of the critical cytoarchitectonic areas and the impaired subfunctions, texture and shape recognition, relate as conjectured above. We conclude that the proposed method represents a promising approach to hypothesis-driven lesion analyses, yielding lesion-function correlates based on a cytoarchitectonic model. Finally, the lesion-function correlates are validated by functional imaging reference data.

Probabilistic maps, morphometry, and variability of cytoarchitectonic areas in the human superior parietal cortex.

Recently, 8 areas (5Ci, 5M, 5L, 7PC, 7A, 7P, 7M, hIP3) in the human superior parietal cortex (SPC) were delineated in 10 postmortem brains using observer-independent cytoarchitectonic analysis. Here we present 3D probabilistic maps of these areas, quantifying the interindividual overlap for each voxel in stereotaxic reference space, and a maximum probability map, providing a contiguous parcellation. For all areas, we determined probabilities of mutual borders, calculated stereotaxic centers of gravity, and estimated volumes. A basic pattern of areas and borders was observed, which showed, however, intersubject variations and a significant interhemispheric asymmetry (7P, 7M) that may be functionally relevant. There was a trend toward higher intersubject anatomical variability in lateral compared with medial areas. For several areas (5M, 7PC, 7A, 7P), variability was significantly higher in the left hemisphere and/or in men, whereas for areas 5Ci and 5M there was a hemisphere-by-gender interaction. Differences in anatomical variability could bias group analyses in functional imaging studies by reducing sensitivity for activations of entities with high variability. The probabilistic maps provide an objective anatomical reference and account for the structural variability of the human brain. Integrated into functional imaging experiments, they can improve structure-function investigations of the human SPC.

Gender-specific left-right asymmetries in human visual cortex.

The structural correlates of gender differences in visuospatial processing are essentially unknown. Our quantitative analysis of the cytoarchitecture of the human primary visual cortex [V1/Brodmann area 17 (BA17)], neighboring area V2 (BA18), and the cytoarchitectonic correlate of the motion-sensitive complex (V5/MT+/hOc5) shows that the visual areas are sexually dimorphic and that the type of dimorphism differs among the areas. Gender differences exist in the interhemispheric asymmetry of hOc5 volumes and in the right-hemispheric volumetric ratio of hOc5 to BA17, an area that projects to V5/MT+/hOc5. Asymmetry was also observed in the surface area of hOc5 but not in its cortical thickness. The differences give males potentially more space in which to process additional information, a finding consistent with superior male processing in particular visuospatial tasks, such as mental rotation. Gender differences in hOc5 exist with similar volume fractions of cell bodies, implying that, overall, the visual neural circuitry is similar in males and females.

Detection of cortical transition regions utilizing statistical analyses of excess masses.

A new statistical approach for observer-assisted detection of transition regions of adjacent cytoarchitectonic areas within the human cerebral cortex was developed. This method analyzes the structural information of cytoarchitectural profiles (e.g., the modality of a gray level intensity distribution) based on observed excess mass differences verified by a suitable statistical test. Profiles were generated by scanning the cerebral cortex over respective regions of interest that were oriented to trajectories running parallel to the orientation of cell columns. For each single profile, determination of excess masses provided evidence for a certain number of peaks in the cell density, thereby avoiding fluctuation due solely to sampling anomalies. Comparing such excess mass measurements by means of multiple local rank tests over a wide range of profiles allowed for the detection of cytoarchitectural inhomogeneities at respective given confidence levels. Special parameters (e.g., level of significance, width of targeted region, number of peaks) then could be adapted to specific pattern recognition problems in lamination analyses. Such analyses of excess masses provided a general tool for observer-assisted evaluation of profile arrays. This observer-assisted statistical method was applied to five different cortical examples. It detected the same transition regions that had been determined earlier through direct examination of samples, despite cortical convexities, concavities, and some minor staining inhomogeneities.