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Published on: January 22, 2018
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Body Topography Parcellates Human Sensory and Motor Cortex
Esther Kuehn1,2,3,4, Juliane Dinse5,6, Estrid Jakobsen7
1Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|February 11, 2017
Summary
This study reveals human sensorimotor cortex is not homogenous as previously thought. Distinct fields for hand and face representation challenge the traditional Brodmann map, suggesting body parts are key organizing principles.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neuroanatomy
- Cortical Plasticity
Background:
- The Brodmann cytoarchitectonic map is foundational for understanding human sensorimotor cortex structure and function.
- However, recent evidence questions the homogeneity of Brodmann areas, particularly primary motor cortex (area 4) and primary somatosensory cortex (area 3b).
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate the Brodmann map's validity in human primary sensorimotor cortex.
- To investigate the internal organization of areas 4 and 3b using advanced mapping techniques.
Main Methods:
- Combined in vivo cortical myelin mapping with functional connectivity and topographic mapping.
- Utilized large-scale resting-state analyses to define intrinsic functional connectivity borders.
Main Results:
- Area 4 and area 3b are not homogenous but subdivided into distinct cortical fields representing the hand and face.
- Myelin reductions at hand-face borders are layer-specific and align with functional connectivity boundaries.
Conclusions:
- The findings extend the Brodmann model by demonstrating that body parts (hand, face) are crucial organizing principles within human sensorimotor cortex.
- This suggests a functional organization principle similar to the sensory-motor distinction.
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