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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 3, 2026

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain

Published on: October 13, 2023

BNST neurocircuitry in humans.

Suzanne N Avery¹, Jacqueline A Clauss¹, Danny G Winder²

¹Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Psychiatric Neuroimaging Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA.

|January 22, 2014

Summary

The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) connects to brain regions involved in anxiety and addiction. This study maps these connections in humans, revealing similarities and unique pathways for future research.

Keywords:

Addiction Anxiety Connectivity DTI Resting state fMRI

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychiatry
Brain Imaging

Background:

Anxiety and addiction disorders are common, chronic, and comorbid mental illnesses.
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is implicated in mediating these disorders.
Previous studies mapped BNST connections in rodents and non-human primates, but human data were lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

To map the structural and functional connectivity of the BNST in the human brain.
To compare human BNST circuitry with findings from animal models.
To identify novel human-specific BNST connections.

Main Methods:

Utilized neuroimaging techniques to examine BNST structural and functional connectivity in a large human sample.
Analyzed in vivo brain circuits.
Compared findings with existing rodent and non-human primate data.

Main Results:

Confirmed structural and functional connections between the BNST and various subcortical regions (limbic, thalamic, basal ganglia) in humans.
Identified a novel structural connection between the BNST and the temporal pole.
Discovered a novel functional connection between the BNST and the paracingulate gyrus.
Demonstrated significant overlap but also unique aspects of human BNST neurocircuitry compared to animal models.

Conclusions:

The human BNST exhibits extensive structural and functional connectivity, largely consistent with animal models.
Novel connections, including with the temporal pole and paracingulate gyrus, are unique to the human brain.
Mapping human BNST circuitry provides a foundation for understanding its role in anxiety and addiction disorders and may reveal new therapeutic targets.