Quantifying variability in the planum temporale: a probability map

The acquisition of definitive evidence for systematic hemispheric asymmetries in the size of the planum temporale (PT) has been restricted by difficulties in identifying, standardizing and measuring the region of interest. In this paper an operational definition for identifying the problematic posterior border of the PT on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans is proposed. An interactive voxel-painting program was used to identify and label the PT simultaneously in horizontal, sagittal and coronal planes in MRI scans, transformed into the standardized Talairach-Tournoux stereo-taxic space, from 50 normal right-handed volunteers. Both grey matter volume and cortical surface area of the PT were measured, while controlling for individual variation in overall brain shape and volume. The labeled tissue was averaged together to produce a probability map in standardized space of the region of interest. The PT region is highly variable, with no single voxel being labeled with a probability of >65%. In this study there were no significant hemispheric differences in volume or area of the PT. An asymmetry in area and volume was introduced by using an alternative method - the 'knife-cut' method - for identifying the posterior border. Implications for functional neuroimaging of the PT are discussed.