Monkey to human comparative anatomy of the frontal lobe association tracts
Abstract
The greater expansion of the frontal lobes along the phylogeny scale has been interpreted as the signature of evolutionary changes underlying higher cognitive abilities in humans functions in humans. However, it is unknown how an increase in number of gyri, sulci and cortical areas in the frontal lobe have coincided with a parallel increase in connectivity. Here, using advanced tractography based on spherical deconvolution, we produced an atlas of human frontal association connections that we compared with axonal tracing studies of the monkey brain. We report several similarities between human and monkey in the cingulum, uncinate, superior longitudinal fasciculus, frontal aslant tract and orbito-polar tract. These similarities suggest to preserved functions across anthropoids. In addition, we found major differences in the arcuate fasciculus and the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. These differences indicate possible evolutionary changes in the connectional anatomy of the frontal lobes underlying unique human abilities.
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The lateralization of SLF II subcomponents is dominant in the left hemisphere.
“other researchers found the SLF II subcomponents' lateralization to be dominant in the left hemisphere (7, 56, 72).”
From Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus: A Review of the Anatomical Descriptions With Functional Correlates (2022) · cites this paper as [56]
A great many studies clearly distinguish the AF and SLF as distinct entities, both anatomically and functionally.
“A great many studies clearly distinguish the 2 bundles as distinct entities, both anatomically and functionally (56, 59, 70, 71, 75, 76).”
From Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus: A Review of the Anatomical Descriptions With Functional Correlates (2022) · cites this paper as [56]
The SLF is a fronto-parietal tract connecting the frontal and parietal cortices, and it is a massive bundle connecting widespread areas of the frontal and parietal lobes.
“the SLF is in its essence a fronto-parietal tract, hence connecting the frontal and parietal cortices”
From Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus: A Review of the Anatomical Descriptions With Functional Correlates (2022) · cites this paper as [56]
The AF is recognized as a distinctive bundle with connection areas and a trajectory different from that of the SLF.
“the AF is recognized as a distinctive bundle with connection areas and a trajectory different from that of the SLF”
From Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus: A Review of the Anatomical Descriptions With Functional Correlates (2022) · cites this paper as [56]
The AF is a fronto-temporal tract that passes through the parietal white matter beneath the SLF.
“whereas the AF is a fronto-temporal tract that passes through the parietal white matter beneath the SLF (55, 56).”
From Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus: A Review of the Anatomical Descriptions With Functional Correlates (2022) · cites this paper as [56]
A lot of prior work in the literature and anatomy textbooks is based on non-human primates, which present a rather different connectivity anatomy, thus steering the nomenclature toward a biased pattern.
“a lot of the prior work which has made its way in the literature and anatomy textbooks is based on non-human primates, which present a rather different connectivity anatomy, thus steering the nomenclature toward a biased pattern (5, 56).”
From Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus: A Review of the Anatomical Descriptions With Functional Correlates (2022) · cites this paper as [56]
The study confirmed anterior UF terminations mainly within the medial and lateral orbito-frontal areas, and minor branches in the middle and inferior frontal and rectus gyri.
“We confirmed anterior UF terminations mainly within the medial and lateral orbito-frontal areas, and minor branches in the middle and inferior frontal and rectus gyri consistent with dissection and tractography studies”
From Cortical Terminations of the Inferior Fronto-Occipital and Uncinate Fasciculi: Anatomical Stem-Based Virtual Dissection (2016) · cites this paper as Thiebaut de Schotten et al., 2012
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- Authors
- Thiebaut de Schotten, M., Dell’Acqua, F., Valabregue, R., & Catani, M.
- Affiliations
- King's College London (GB)
- Venue
- Cortex
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-01
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 82-96
- ISSN
- 0010-9452 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1979298827
- Cited by
- 632
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 28 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 45 · 2021: 58 · 2020: 43 · 2019: 49 · 2018: 46 · 2017: 47 · 2016: 51 · 2015: 39 · 2014: 48 · 2013: 28 · 2012: 20
- FWCI
- 27.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Cortex (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-09-EMER-0006)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- frontal lobe, association tracts, human-macaque comparison, cortical connectivity, arcuate fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, cingulum, uncinate fasciculus, frontal aslant tract, cognitive evolution, axon tracing
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Algorithms, Animals, Atlases as Topic, Axons, Brain Mapping, Biological Evolution, Frontal Lobe, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Macaca mulatta, Male, Nerve Fibers, Neural Pathways, Species Specificity, Databases, Factual, Diffusion Tensor Imaging
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