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Anatomy and white matter connections of the lateral occipital cortex

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Abstract

Purpose

White matter tracts link different regions of the brain, and the known functions of those interconnected regions may offer clues about the roles that white matter tracts play in information relay. The authors of this report discuss the structure and function of the lateral occipital lobe and how the lateral occipital lobe communicates with other regions via white matter tracts.

Methods

The authors used generalized q-sampling imaging and cadaveric brain dissections to uncover the subcortical white matter connections of the lateral occipital lobe. The authors created GQI of ten healthy controls and dissected ten cadaveric brains.

Results

The middle longitudinal fasciculus, vertical occipital fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, optic radiations, and a diverse array of U-shaped fibers connect the lateral occipital lobe to itself, parts of the temporal, parietal, and medial occipital cortices. The complex functional processes attributed to the lateral occipital lobe, including object recognition, facial recognition, and motion perception are likely related to the subcortical white matter tracts described within this study.

Conclusions

There was good concordance between the white matter tracts generated using GQI and the white matter tracts that were found after dissection of the cadaveric brains. This article presents the anatomic connections of the lateral occipital lobe and discusses the associated functions.

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Acknowledgements

There are no acknowledgements for this paper. There are no conflicts of interests related to the contents of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

    Ali H. Palejwala, Kyle P. O’Connor, Panayiotis Pelargos, Robert G. Briggs, Camille K. Milton, Andrew K. Conner, Ty M. Milligan & Chad A. Glenn

  2. Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

    Daniel L. O’Donoghue

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, Prince of Wales Private Hospital, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia

    Michael E. Sughrue

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  1. Ali H. Palejwala
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Contributions

AP manuscript, data collection; KO manuscript, data collection; PP manuscript, data collection; RB manuscript, data collection; CM manuscript; AC manuscript; TM literature review; DO materials and methods; CG manuscript; MS manuscript and PI

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Correspondence to Michael E. Sughrue.

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Palejwala, A.H., O’Connor, K.P., Pelargos, P. et al. Anatomy and white matter connections of the lateral occipital cortex. Surg Radiol Anat 42, 315–328 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-019-02371-z

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