Residual functional connectivity in the split-brain revealed with resting-state functional MRI
Lucina Q Uddin1, Eric Mooshagian, Eran Zaidel
1New York University Child Study Center, New York, NY 10016, USA. lucina.uddin@med.nyu.edu
Neuroreport
|April 18, 2008
Summary
Split-brain research reveals that subcortical mechanisms can coordinate brain networks. Even without major cerebral connections, bilateral resting state networks persist, showing continued interhemispheric interaction.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
- Brain Connectivity
Background:
- Split-brain patients, who have undergone complete commissurotomy severing the corpus callosum, offer unique insights into brain function.
- Controversies exist regarding the role of subcortical structures in interhemispheric coordination after major cerebral connections are lost.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate residual functional connectivity in a patient with complete commissurotomy.
- To explore the potential for subcortical mechanisms to mediate interhemispheric coordination.
Main Methods:
- Utilized resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine low-frequency Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent (BOLD) signal patterns.
- Applied independent components analysis (ICA) and region-of-interest (ROI)-based functional connectivity analyses.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the presence of bilateral resting state networks in a patient lacking major cerebral commissures.
- Found that interhemispheric correlation scores in the patient fell within the normal range for two out of three examined regions when compared to a control group.
Conclusions:
- Provided evidence for bilateral resting state networks in a patient with complete commissurotomy.
- Suggests that subcortical mechanisms can, at least in part, coordinate cortical networks, enabling continued interhemispheric interaction.
