Structures of the nerve fiber bundles near the central sulcus on diffusion tensor imaging

To investigate the morphology and spatial relationship of the structure of the nerve fiber bundles near the central sulcus on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

One hundred and eleven healthy subjects were enrolled to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) DTI scanning, including 68 males and 43 females with an age range of 0-106 years (mean 48). The nerve fiber bundles near the central sulcus were reconstructed for observation and analysis on DTI.

There are many fiber bundles distributed near the central sulcus, with complex structures, including the corpus callosum, anterior commissure, fornix, superior longitudinal bundle, inferior frontal occipital bundle, corticospinal bundle, cortical cerebellar bundle, arcuate fiber, visual pathway, cortical dentate nucleus bundle, crossed cortical cerebellar bundle, and bridging fibers. The central sulcus is located between the frontal and parietal lobes, with the anterior central gyrus located in the front and the posterior central gyrus in the back. It connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain through the corpus callosum and is widely connected in the brain through different fiber bundles, including the frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobes, cerebellum, spinal cord, thalamus, and brainstem. It is closely related to other conduction tracts in the brain. From premature birth to young adulthood (< 45 years old), the corpus callosum gradually developed with increased numbers of nerve fiber bundles which became denser, wider and more extensively connected to surrounding cerebral tissues. However, from young adulthood to older ages (> 60 years old), the nerve fiber bundles of the corpus callosum became increasingly sparser and less connected with surrounding cerebral tissues. With increase of the age from 4 days after birth to the age 45 years, the nerve fibers of the corpus callosum, lateral bundle of the corpus callosum, cortical dentate nucleus bundle and corticospinal tract became denser, wider, and more extensively connected with surrounding tissues.

The structures of the nerve fiber bundles near the central sulcus on DTI are complex and widely connected with other brain regions, with important clinical significance.