scholarly journals The frontal aslant tract (FAT) and its role in speech, language and executive function

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Steven Dick ◽  
Dea Garic ◽  
Paulo Graziano ◽  
Pascale Tremblay
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Language Function ◽  
Speech And Language ◽  
Putative Role ◽  
Frontal Aslant Tract ◽  
The Right ◽  
Motor Areas

AbstractIn this review, we examine the structural connectivity of a recently-identified fiber pathway, the frontal aslant tract (FAT), and explore its function. We first review structural connectivity studies using tract-tracing methods in non-human primates, and diffusion-weighted imaging and electrostimulation in humans. These studies suggest a monosynaptic connection exists between the lateral inferior frontal gyrus and the pre-supplementary and supplementary motor areas of the medial superior frontal gyrus. This connection is termed the FAT. We then review research on the left FAT’s putative role in supporting speech and language function, with particular focus on speech initiation, stuttering and verbal fluency. Next, we review research on the right FAT’s putative role supporting executive function, namely inhibitory control and conflict monitoring for action. We summarize the extant body of empirical work by suggesting that the FAT plays a domain general role in the planning, timing, and coordination of sequential motor movements through the resolution of competition among potential motor plans. However, we also propose some domain specialization across the hemispheres. On the left hemisphere, the circuit is proposed to be specialized for speech actions. On the right hemisphere, the circuit is proposed to be specialized for general action control of the organism, especially in the visuo-spatial domain. We close the review with a discussion of the clinical significance of the FAT, and suggestions for further research on the pathway.HighlightsThe frontal aslant tract (FAT) is a recently identified fiber pathwayIt connects inferior frontal gyrus with medial frontal motor areasThe left FAT has been associated with speech and language functionThe right FAT has been associated with inhibitory controlBoth FAT pathways may function in sequential motor planning

Inhibition of Manual Movements at Speech Arrest Sites in the Posterior Inferior Frontal Lobe

Neurosurgery ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. E496-E501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D Breshears ◽  
Derek G Southwell ◽  
Edward F Chang
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Lobe ◽  
Functional Relationship ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Hand Movement ◽  
Language Function ◽  
Motor Inhibition ◽  
Dominant Hemisphere ◽  
Intraoperative Localization ◽  
Stimulation Of ◽  
Motor Areas

Abstract BACKGROUND Intraoperative stimulation of the posterior inferior frontal lobe (IFL) induces speech arrest, which is often interpreted as demonstration of essential language function. However, prior reports have described “negative motor areas” in the IFL, sites where stimulation halts ongoing limb motor activity. OBJECTIVE To investigate the spatial and functional relationship between IFL speech arrest areas and negative motor areas (NMAs). METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, intraoperative stimulation mapping was performed to localize speech and motor function, as well as arrest of hand movement, hand posture, and guitar playing in a set of patients undergoing awake craniotomy for dominant hemisphere pathologies. The incidence and localization of speech arrest and motor inhibition was analyzed. RESULTS Eleven patients underwent intraoperative localization of speech arrest sites and inhibitory motor areas. A total of 17 speech arrest sites were identified in the dominant frontal lobe, and, of these, 5 sites (29.4%) were also identified as NMAs. Speech arrest and arrest of guitar playing was also evoked by a single IFL site in 1 subject. CONCLUSION Inferior frontal gyrus speech arrest sites do not function solely in speech production. These findings provide further evidence for the complexity of language organization, and suggest the need for refined mapping strategies that discern between language-specific sites and inhibitory motor areas.

scholarly journals Associations Between Smoking Abstinence, Inhibitory Control, and Smoking Behavior: An fMRI Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spencer Bell ◽  
Brett Froeliger
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Smoking Behavior ◽  
Smoking Abstinence ◽  
Monetary Rewards ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
The Right ◽  
Post Hoc

Nicotine addiction is associated with dysregulated inhibitory control (IC), mediated by corticothalamic circuitry including the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG). Among sated smokers, worse IC task performance and greater IC-related rIFG activity have been shown to be associated with greater relapse vulnerability. The present study investigated the effects of smoking abstinence on associations between IC task performance, rIFG activation, and smoking behavior. Smokers (N = 26, 15 female) completed an IC task (Go/Go/No-go) during fMRI scanning followed by a laboratory-based smoking relapse analog task (SRT) on two visits: once when sated and once following 24 h of smoking abstinence. During the SRT, smokers were provided with monetary rewards for incrementally delaying smoking. A significant main effect of No-go accuracy on latency to smoke during the SRT was observed when collapsing across smoking states (abstinent vs. sated). Similarly, a significant main effect of IC-related activation in rIFG on SRT performance was observed across states. The main effect of state, however, was non-significant in both of these models. Furthermore, the interaction between smoking state and No-go accuracy on SRT performance was non-significant, indicating a similar relationship between IC and lapse vulnerability under both sated and abstinent conditions. The state X rIFG activation interaction on SRT performance was likewise non-significant. Post-hoc whole brain analyses indicated that abstinence resulted in greater IC-related activity in the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and insula. Activation during IC in these regions was significantly associated with decreased No-go accuracy. Moreover, greater abstinence induced activity in right MFG during IC was associated with smoking sooner on the SRT. These findings are bolstered by the extant literature on the effects of nicotine on executive function and also contribute novel insights on how individual differences in behavioral and neuroimaging measures of IC may influence relapse propensity independent of smoking state.

scholarly journals Neurometabolic Correlates of Reactive and Proactive Motor Inhibition in Young and Older Adults: Evidence from Multiple Regional 1H-MR Spectroscopy

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akila Weerasekera ◽  
Oron Levin ◽  
Amanda Clauwaert ◽  
Kirstin-Friederike Heise ◽  
Lize Hermans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Proactive Inhibition ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Resonance Spectroscopy ◽  
Reactive Inhibition ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Right ◽  
Age Range

Abstract Suboptimal inhibitory control is a major factor contributing to motor/cognitive deficits in older age and pathology. Here, we provide novel insights into the neurochemical biomarkers of inhibitory control in healthy young and older adults and highlight putative neurometabolic correlates of deficient inhibitory functions in normal aging. Age-related alterations in levels of glutamate–glutamine complex (Glx), N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), and myo-inositol (mIns) were assessed in the right inferior frontal gyrus (RIFG), pre-supplementary motor area (preSMA), bilateral sensorimotor cortex (SM1), bilateral striatum (STR), and occipital cortex (OCC) with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Data were collected from 30 young (age range 18–34 years) and 29 older (age range 60–74 years) adults. Associations between age-related changes in the levels of these metabolites and performance measures or reactive/proactive inhibition were examined for each age group. Glx levels in the right striatum and preSMA were associated with more efficient proactive inhibition in young adults but were not predictive for reactive inhibition performance. Higher NAA/mIns ratios in the preSMA and RIFG and lower mIns levels in the OCC were associated with better deployment of proactive and reactive inhibition in older adults. Overall, these findings suggest that altered regional concentrations of NAA and mIns constitute potential biomarkers of suboptimal inhibitory control in aging.

scholarly journals Fiber tracking of the frontal aslant tract and subcomponents of the arcuate fasciculus in 5–8-year-olds: Relation to speech and language function

2015 ◽  
Vol 149 ◽  
pp. 66-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris Broce ◽  
Byron Bernal ◽  
Nolan Altman ◽  
Pascale Tremblay ◽  
Anthony Steven Dick
Keyword(s):  
Fiber Tracking ◽  
Language Function ◽  
Arcuate Fasciculus ◽  
Speech And Language ◽  
Frontal Aslant Tract

scholarly journals Right inferior frontal gyrus implements motor inhibitory control via beta-band oscillations in humans

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Schaum ◽  
Edoardo Pinzuti ◽  
Alexandra Sebastian ◽  
Klaus Lieb ◽  
Pascal Fries ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Changing Environments ◽  
Band Power ◽  
The Right ◽  
Band Activity

Motor inhibitory control implemented as response inhibition is an essential cognitive function required to dynamically adapt to rapidly changing environments. Despite over a decade of research on the neural mechanisms of response inhibition, it remains unclear, how exactly response inhibition is initiated and implemented. Using a multimodal MEG/fMRI approach in 59 subjects, our results reliably reveal that response inhibition is initiated by the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) as a form of attention-independent top-down control that involves the modulation of beta-band activity. Furthermore, stopping performance was predicted by beta-band power, and beta-band connectivity was directed from rIFG to pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), indicating rIFG’s dominance over pre-SMA. Thus, these results strongly support the hypothesis that rIFG initiates stopping, implemented by beta-band oscillations with potential to open up new ways of spatially localized oscillation-based interventions.

Sex Differences in Anatomical Rich-Club and Structural–Functional Coupling in the Human Brain Network

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuo Zhao ◽  
Gongshu Wang ◽  
Ting Yan ◽  
Jie Xiang ◽  
Xuexue Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Parahippocampal Gyrus ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Rich Club ◽  
The Right

Abstract Structural and functional differences between the brains of female and male adults have been well documented. However, potential sex differences in the patterns of rich-club organization and the coupling between their structural connectivity (SC) and functional connectivity (FC) remain to be determined. In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging techniques were combined to examine sex differences in rich-club organization. Females had a stronger SC-FC coupling than males. Moreover, stronger SC-FC coupling in the females was primarily located in feeder connections and non–rich-club nodes of the left inferior frontal gyrus and inferior parietal lobe and the right superior frontal gyrus and superior parietal gyrus, whereas higher coupling strength in males was primarily located in rich-club connections and rich-club node of the right insula, and non-rich-club nodes of the left hippocampus and the right parahippocampal gyrus. Sex-specific patterns in correlations were also shown between SC-FC coupling and cognitive function, including working memory and reasoning ability. The topological changes in rich-club organization provide novel insight into sex-specific effects on white matter connections that underlie a potential network mechanism of sex-based differences in cognitive function.

scholarly journals White Matter Abnormalities in Body Integrity Dysphoria

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluca Saetta ◽  
Kathy Ruddy ◽  
Laura Zapparoli ◽  
Martina Gandola ◽  
Gerardo Salvato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
The Body ◽  
Limb Amputation ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Severe Condition ◽  
The Right

Body integrity dysphoria (BID) is a severe condition affecting non-psychotic individuals where a limb may be experienced as non-belonging, despite normal anatomical development and intact sensorimotor functions. Limb amputation is desired for restoring their own identity. We previously demonstrated altered brain structural (gray matter) and functional connectivity in 16 men with a long-lasting and exclusive desire for left leg amputation. Here we aimed to identify in the same sample altered patterns of white matter structural connectivity. Fractional anisotropy (FA), derived from Diffusion Tensor Imaging data, was considered as a measure of structural connectivity. Results showed reduced structural connectivity of: i) the right superior parietal lobule (rSPL) with the right cuneus, superior occipital and posterior cingulate gyri, and cuneus, ii) the pars orbitalis of the right middle frontal gyrus (rMFGOrb) with the putamen iii) the left middle temporal gyrus (lMTG) with the pars triangularis of the left inferior frontal gyrus. Increased connectivity was observed between the right paracentral lobule (rPLC) and the right caudate nucleus. By using a complementary method of investigation, we confirmed and extended previous results showing alterations in areas tuned to the processing of the sensorimotor representations of the affected leg (rPCL), and to higher-order components of bodily representation such as the body image (rSPL). Alongside this network for bodily awareness, other networks such as the limbic (rMFGOrb) and the mirror (lMTG) systems showed structural alterations as well. These findings consolidate current understanding of the neural correlates of BID, which might in turn guide diagnostics and rehabilitative treatments.

scholarly journals The frontal aslant tract and its role in executive functions: a quantitative tractography study in glioma patients

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maud J. F. Landers ◽  
Stephan P. L. Meesters ◽  
Martine van Zandvoort ◽  
Wouter de Baene ◽  
Geert-Jan M. Rutten
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Neurosurgical Procedures ◽  
Critical Pathway ◽  
Frontal Aslant Tract ◽  
The Right ◽  
Shifting Attention

AbstractFocal white matter lesions can cause cognitive impairments due to disconnections within or between networks. There is some preliminary evidence that there are specific hubs and fiber pathways that should be spared during surgery to retain cognitive performance. A tract potentially involved in important higher-level cognitive processes is the frontal aslant tract. It roughly connects the posterior parts of the inferior frontal gyrus and the superior frontal gyrus. Functionally, the left frontal aslant tract has been associated with speech and the right tract with executive functions. However, there currently is insufficient knowledge about the right frontal aslant tract’s exact functional importance. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the right frontal aslant tract in executive functions via a lesion-symptom approach. We retrospectively examined 72 patients with frontal glial tumors and correlated measures from tractography (distance between tract and tumor, and structural integrity of the tract) with cognitive test performances. The results indicated involvement of the right frontal aslant tract in shifting attention and letter fluency. This involvement was not found for the left tract. Although this study was exploratory, these converging findings contribute to a better understanding of the functional frontal subcortical anatomy. Shifting attention and letter fluency are important for healthy cognitive functioning, and when impaired they may greatly influence a patient’s wellbeing. Further research is needed to assess whether or not damage to the right frontal aslant tract causes permanent cognitive impairments, and consequently identifies this tract as a critical pathway that should be taken into account during neurosurgical procedures.

scholarly journals Roles for the pre-supplementary motor area and the right inferior frontal gyrus in stopping action: Electrophysiological responses and functional and structural connectivity

NeuroImage ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 2860-2870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole C. Swann ◽  
Weidong Cai ◽  
Christopher R. Conner ◽  
Thomas A. Pieters ◽  
Michael P. Claffey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Electrophysiological Responses ◽  
The Right

scholarly journals Right Hemisphere Remapping of Naming Functions Depends on Lesion Size and Location in Poststroke Aphasia

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura M. Skipper-Kallal ◽  
Elizabeth H. Lacey ◽  
Shihui Xing ◽  
Peter E. Turkeltaub
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Lesion Size ◽  
Language Function ◽  
The Right ◽  
Left Hemisphere Stroke ◽  
Aphasia Recovery

The study of language network plasticity following left hemisphere stroke is foundational to the understanding of aphasia recovery and neural plasticity in general. Damage in different language nodes may influence whether local plasticity is possible and whether right hemisphere recruitment is beneficial. However, the relationships of both lesion size and location to patterns of remapping are poorly understood. In the context of a picture naming fMRI task, we tested whether lesion size and location relate to activity in surviving left hemisphere language nodes, as well as homotopic activity in the right hemisphere during covert name retrieval and overt name production. We found that lesion size was positively associated with greater right hemisphere activity during both phases of naming, a pattern that has frequently been suggested but has not previously been clearly demonstrated. During overt naming, lesions in the inferior frontal gyrus led to deactivation of contralateral frontal areas, while lesions in motor cortex led to increased right motor cortex activity. Furthermore, increased right motor activity related to better naming performance only when left motor cortex was lesioned, suggesting compensatory takeover of speech or language function by the homotopic node. These findings demonstrate that reorganization of language function, and the degree to which reorganization facilitates aphasia recovery, is dependent on the size and site of the lesion.

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