Evaluation of Structural Neural Connectivity Between the Primary Auditory Cortex and Cognition-Related Brain Areas Using Diffusion Tensor Tractography in 43 Normal Adults

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the structural neural connectivity between the primary auditory cortex and cognition-related brain areas in the human brain. This study aimed to evaluate the structural neural connectivity between the primary auditory cortex and cognition-related brain areas in normal subjects, using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). MATERIAL/METHODS: Forty-three healthy subjects with no prior history of audiological, neurological, physical, or psychiatric illnesses were recruited for this study. Diffusion tensor imaging data analysis was performed using the Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Brain (FMRIB) Software Library. In each subject, a region of interest was set on the primary auditory cortex, including the subcortical white matter. We assessed the neural connectivity between the primary auditory cortex and cognition-related brain areas (the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [DLPFC]; ventrolateral prefrontal cortex [VLPFC]; orbitofrontal cortex [OFC]; hippocampus; parahippocampal cortex; amygdala, anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus; and fornix). RESULTS: According to the results of DTT, the primary auditory cortex showed neural connectivity (over 50%) with the following areas: the threshold of 1 streamline – the VLPFC (94.2%), OFC (84.9%), fornix (80.2%), hippocampus (76.7%), parahippocampal cortex(74.4%) and DLPFC (58.1%); the threshold of 5 streamlines – the VLPFC (88.4%), OFC (81.4%), fornix (66.3%), hippocampus (55.8%), and parahippocampal cortex (53.5%); and the threshold of 15 streamlines – the VLPFC (82.6%), OFC (74.4%), and fornix (53.5%). CONCLUSIONS: In normal human subjects, DTT showed that the primary auditory cortex had a high degree of neural connectivity with the prefrontal cortex, fornix, hippocampus, and parahippocampal cortex, which are brain areas associated with cognition and memory.