Open AccessFiber Pathways of Attention Subnetworks Revealed with Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) and Probabilistic Tractography
Author(s) -
Haitao Ge,
Xuntao Yin,
Junhai Xu,
Yuchun Tang,
Han Yan,
Wenjian Xu,
Zengchang Pang,
Huaqing Meng,
Shuwei Liu
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0078831
Subject(s) - tractography , diffusion mri , white matter , superior longitudinal fasciculus , neuroscience , corona radiata (embryology) , probabilistic logic , computer science , uncinate fasciculus , psychology , artificial intelligence , cognitive psychology , biology , fractional anisotropy , medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , embryo , zona pellucida , oocyte , radiology , microbiology and biotechnology
It has been widely accepted that attention can be divided into three subnetworks - alerting, orienting and executive control (EC), and the subnetworks of attention are linked to distinct brain regions. However, the association between specific white matter fibers and the subnetworks of attention is not clear enough. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), the white matter connectivity related to the performance of attention was assessed by attention network test (ANT) in 85 healthy adolescents. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and probabilistic diffusion tractography analysis demonstrated that cerebellothalamic tract was involved in alerting, while orienting depended upon the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). In addition, EC was under the control of anterior corona radiata (ACR). Our findings suggest that different fiber pathways are involved in the three distinct subnetworks of attention. The current study will yield more precise information about the structural substrates of attention function and may aid the efforts to understand the neurophysiology of several attention disorders.