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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Fiber Connections of the Supplementary Motor Area Revisited: Methodology of Fiber Dissection, DTI, and Three Dimensional Documentation

Fiber Connections of the Supplementary Motor Area Revisited: Methodology of Fiber Dissection, DTI, and Three Dimensional Documentation

Published on: May 23, 2017

Fiber tracking functionally distinct components of the internal capsule.

Edith V Sullivan¹, Natalie M Zahr, Torsten Rohlfing

¹Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5723, USA. edie@stanford.edu

Neuropsychologia

|October 27, 2010

Summary

Aging affects the internal capsule, a key brain pathway. Diffusion tensor imaging reveals age-related microstructural changes, correlating with cognitive and motor function declines.

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Co-analysis of Brain Structure and Function using fMRI and Diffusion-weighted Imaging

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Neuroimaging
Cognitive Neurology

Background:

The internal capsule is a critical white matter tract connecting various brain regions.
Damage to the internal capsule is associated with distinct neurological deficits.
Understanding age-related changes in the internal capsule is crucial for cognitive aging research.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate microstructural integrity of the internal capsule in healthy aging using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
To explore functional correlates of different internal capsule sectors with cognitive and motor performance across the lifespan.

Main Methods:

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) fiber tracking was employed in 12 younger and 12 older adults.
Neuropsychological tests assessed cognitive and motor functions.
Analysis focused on microstructural differences and their correlation with performance.

Main Results:

Age-related microstructural degradation was more pronounced in the anterior and superior divisions of the internal capsule.
Fractional anisotropy (FA) in the inferior division's fiber bundles significantly predicted variance in neuropsychological domains (27-73%).
A triple dissociation was identified, linking anterior FA to set shifting, genu FA to motor skills, and posterior FA to fluency.

Conclusions:

DTI fiber tracking and cognitive/motor assessments reveal selective brain structure-function relationships in the internal capsule.
These findings extend observations from lesion studies to healthy aging adults.
Specific sectors of the internal capsule show differential vulnerability to aging and distinct functional roles.