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Published on: August 12, 2019
Three-Dimensional Identification of the Frontal Aslant Tract in the Human Brain: Tractography Study
Sara Kierońska-Siwak1,2, Hanna Mackiewicz-Nartowicz3, Anna Sinkiewicz3
1Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Abstract:
Background: The frontal aslant tract (FAT) is a white matter pathway associated with language and executive functions. The aim of the study was to identify and analyze this tract using DTI tractography. Methods: The study included 26 healthy adults. Probabilistic multi-fiber tractography and deterministic single-fiber tractography were applied. The seed region (ROI) was defined in the inferior frontal gyrus, and the target region in the superior frontal cortex. FA, MD, and tract volume were analyzed. Results: The FAT was reconstructed in all participants using probabilistic analysis. The left FAT showed higher FA (p = 0.012), greater volume (p = 0.008), and lower MD (p = 0.021) than the right. Probabilistic tractography demonstrated greater tract volume compared to deterministic tractography. Conclusions: The FAT can be identified using DTI tractography. Probabilistic tractography produced more extensive FAT reconstructions than deterministic tractography; however, anatomical accuracy was not directly assessed.
