Joint Multi-modal Parcellation of the Human Striatum: Functions and Clinical Relevance

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Human Brain Organization

Background:

• The human striatum is crucial for diverse cognitive and motor functions.
• Its subdivisions are implicated in neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease (PD) and schizophrenia (SCZ).
• Previous striatal parcellations relied on single neuroimaging modalities, limiting understanding of its multi-modal organization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the striatal organization across multiple neuroimaging modalities.
• To establish a holistic, convergent view of the striatum's structure and function.
• To develop a topographical model for studying striatal variability in aging and clinical conditions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized resting-state functional connectivity, probabilistic diffusion tractography, and structural covariance analyses.
• Examined cross-modal convergence to define striatal subdivisions.
• Correlated structural changes with clinical conditions.

Main Results:

• Identified convergent organizational clusters in dorsal, dorsolateral, rostral, ventral, and caudal striatum.
• Demonstrated anterior striatum involvement in cognitive/emotional functions and caudal striatum in action execution.
• Found shared rostral/ventral striatal atrophy in PD and SCZ, with specific dorsolateral atrophy in PD.

Conclusions:

• The human striatum exhibits a convergent, cross-modal organization.
• This provides a fundamental topographical model for striatal function.
• The model aids in investigating structural and functional variability in aging and neurological disorders.