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Hyperdirect connectivity of opercular speech network to the subthalamic nucleus
Ahmed Jorge1, Witold J Lipski2, Dengyu Wang3
1Department of Neurosurgery, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Cell Reports
|March 9, 2022
Summary
Researchers found a direct brain pathway connecting the subthalamic nucleus (STN) to speech areas in the human brain. This hyperdirect pathway may be crucial for speech production and uniquely human.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human Speech Production
- Brain Connectivity
Background:
- The basal ganglia's role in speech remains unclear, despite their known motor and cognitive functions.
- The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a key basal ganglia structure potentially involved in speech modulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the basal ganglia's participation in human speech.
- To identify specific pathways connecting the STN to speech-related cortical areas.
Main Methods:
- Electrocorticography (ECoG) was used in patients undergoing awake deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery.
- Stimulation of the STN and recording of antidromic-evoked potentials in the opercular cortex mapped connectivity.
Main Results:
- Evidence for a left-sided hyperdirect pathway between the STN and the opercular cortex (inferior frontal, temporal, parietal) was found.
- Data suggest monosynaptic projections from sensory speech areas, including the auditory cortex, to the STN.
Conclusions:
- A novel hyperdirect pathway linking the STN to human speech cortex exists.
- These STN-cortical connections may be a recent evolutionary development supporting human speech capabilities.
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