No abstract

The human cerebral cortex contains numerous myelinated fibres, the arrangement and density of which is by no means homogeneous throughout the cortex. Local differences in the spatial organization of these fibres render it possible to recognize areas with a different myeloarchitecture. The neuroanatomical subdiscipline aimed at the identification and delineation of such areas is known as myeloarchitectonics. During the period extending from 1910 to 1970, Oscar and Cécile Vogt and their numerous collaborators (The Vogt-Vogt school) published a large number of myeloarchitectonic studies on the cortex of the various lobes of the human cerebrum. Recently, one of us (Nieuwenhuys in Brain Struct Funct 218: 303-352, 2013) extensively reviewed these studies. It was concluded that the data available are adequate and sufficient for the composition of a myeloarchitectonic map of the entire human neocortex. The present paper is devoted to the creation of this map. Because the data provided by the Vogt-Vogt school are derived from many different brains, a standard brain had to be introduced to which all data available could be transferred. As such, the colin27 structural scan, aligned to the MNI305 template was selected. The procedure employed in this transfer involved computer-aided transformations of the lobar maps available in the literature, to the corresponding regions of the standard brain, as well as local adjustments in the border zones of the various lobes. The resultant map includes 180 myeloarchitectonic areas, 64 frontal, 30 parietal, 6 insular, 17 occipital and 63 temporal. The designation of the various areas with simple Arabic numbers, introduced by Oscar Vogt for the frontal and parietal cortices, has been extended over the entire neocortex. It may be expected that combination of the myeloarchitectonic data of the Vogt-Vogt school, as expressed in our map, with the results of the detailed cytoarchitectonic and receptor architectonic studies of Karl Zilles and Katrin Amunts and their numerous associates, will yield a comprehensive 'supermap' of the structural organization of the human neocortex. For the time being, i. e., as long as this 'supermap' is not yet available, our map may provide a tentative frame of reference for (a) the morphological interpretation of the results of functional neuroimaging studies; (b) the selection of starting points (seed voxels, regions-of-interest) in diffusion tractography studies and

During the period extending from 1910 to 1970, Oscar and Cécile Vogt and their numerous collaborators published a large number of myeloarchitectonic studies on the cortex of the various lobes of the human cerebrum. In a previous publication [Nieuwenhuys et al (Brain Struct Funct 220:2551–2573, 2015; Erratum in Brain Struct Funct 220: 3753–3755, 2015)], we used the data provided by the Vogt–Vogt school for the composition of a myeloarchitectonic map of the entire human neocortex. Because these data were derived from many different brains, a standard brain had to be introduced to which all data available could be transferred. As such the Colin 27 structural scan, aligned to the MNI305 template was selected. The resultant map includes 180 myeloarchitectonic areas, 64 frontal, 30 parietal, 6 insular, 17 occipital and 63 temporal. Here we present a supplementary map in which the overall density of the myelinated fibers in the individual architectonic areas is indicated, based on a meta-analysis of data provided by Adolf Hopf, a prominent collaborator of the Vogts. This map shows that the primary sensory and motor regions are densely myelinated and that, in general, myelination decreases stepwise with the distance from these primary regions. The map also reveals the presence of a number of heavily myelinated formations, situated beyond the primary sensory and motor domains, each consisting of two or more myeloarchitectonic areas. These formations were provisionally designated as the orbitofrontal, intraparietal, posterolateral temporal, and basal temporal dark clusters. Recently published MRI-based in vivo myelin content mappings show, with regard to the primary sensory and motor regions, a striking concordance with our map. As regards the heavily myelinated clusters shown by our map, scrutiny of the current literature revealed that correlates of all of these clusters have been identified in in vivo structural MRI studies and appear to correspond either entirely or largely to known cytoarchitectonic entities. Moreover, functional neuroimaging studies indicate that all of these clusters are involved in vision-related cognitive functions.

The question of the superior operative technique for meralgia paresthetica is unsettled. Operative treatment by either neurolysis or transection of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve was performed in 21 patients with meralgia paresthetica after complete failure of conservative treatment; neurolysis in 10 patients and transection in 11 patients were performed by five neurosurgeons. The average follow-up period was 74 months (+/- 52 mo). The results were scored as complete relief, partial relief, or failure. Direct comparison of neurolysis and transection confirmed the superiority of transection as a treatment for meralgia paresthetica (Mann-Whitney-U test, P = 0.022; one-sample sign test, P = 0.0020).