While hippocampal connectivity is essential to normal memory function, our knowledge of human hippocampal circuitry is largely inferred from animal studies. Using polarized light microscopy at 1.3 µm resolution, we have directly visualized the 3D course of key medial temporal pathways in 3 ex vivo human hemispheres and 2 ex vivo vervet monkey hemispheres. The multiple components of the perforant path system were clearly identified: Superficial sheets of fibers emanating from the entorhinal cortex project to the presubiculum and parasubiculum, intermixed transverse and longitudinal angular bundle fibers perforate the subiculum and then project to the cornu ammonis (CA) fields and dentate molecular layer, and a significant alvear component runs from the angular bundle to the CA fields. From the hilus, mossy fibers localize to regions of high kainate receptor density, and the endfolial pathway, mostly investigated in humans, merges with the Schaffer collaterals. This work defines human hippocampal pathways underlying mnemonic function at an unprecedented resolution.

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Purpose:To study the time course of diffusion imaging at the lesion site in brainstem infarcts. Materials and Methods:Sequential MR scans were acquired from 24 patients with brainstem infarcts. Diffusionweighted images (DWI), T 2 -weighted images (T 2 w), maps of apparent diffusion coefficient, and maps of fractional anisotropy were generated from each MR scan. A trend function was fitted to these measurements to model an objective, general time course of the studied parameters.Results: Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) continuously decreased over time until a transition time around 45 hours; afterwards a continuous increase took place. After the 14th day ADC reached values similar to the ADC of the intact contralateral side (pseudonormalization) and then further increased. Fractional anisotropy (FA) decreased continuously over 3 to 6 months. Conclusion:Times of transition and pseudonormalization of ADC were longer than described for territorial hemispheric infarcts and describe the acute to subacute phase of brainstem ischemia. In contrast, the continuous decline of FA over 3 to 6 months indicates a chronic process of change of histological structures in brainstem ischemia, and may be regarded as an indicator of the chronic phase.

Classic anatomical atlases depict a contralateral hemispheral representation of each side of the face. Recently, however, a bilateral projection of each hemiface was hypothesized, based on animal studies that showed the coexistence of an additional trigeminothalamic tract sprouting from the trigeminal principal sensory nucleus that ascends ipsilaterally. This study aims to provide an anatomical substrate for the hypothesized bilateral projection. Three post-mortem human brainstems were scanned for anatomical and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging at 11.7T. The trigeminal tracts were delineated in each brainstem using track density imaging (TDI) and tractography. To evaluate the reconstructed tracts, the same brainstems were sectioned for polarized light imaging (PLI). Anatomical 11.7T MRI shows a dispersion of the trigeminal tract ( tt ) into a ventral and dorsal portion. This bifurcation was also seen on the TDI maps, tractography results and PLI images of all three specimens. Referring to a similar anatomic feature in primate brains, the dorsal and ventral tracts were named the dorsal and ventral trigeminothalamic tract ( dtt and vtt ), respectively. This study shows that both the dtt and vtt are present in humans, indicating that each hemiface has a bilateral projection, although the functional relevance of these tracts cannot be determined by the present anatomical study. If both tracts convey noxious stimuli, this could open up new insights into and treatments for orofacial pain in patients.