A review of corticospinal tract location at corona radiata and posterior limb of the internal capsule in human brain

Abstract

The corticospinal tract (CST) is the most important motor pathway in the human brain, therefore, the accurate estimation of the CST state following brain injury would enable us to predict the motor outcome or enable accurate surgical planning. The corona radiata (CR) and the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PL) are important locations because they are related to poor motor outcome. In this study, we reviewed the available literature regarding the location of the CST at the CR and PL in the human brain. The results of this review indicate that the CST is located in the posterior portion of the CR and PL. However, a direct comparison of the results of previous studies would be impossible because many of the previous studies did not define the exact boundary or analytic standards used to locate the CR or PL. Therefore, further complementary studies that define these in detail are warranted.

Individual differences in social desirability are associated with white-matter microstructure of the external capsule

“…Other DTI studies have found correlations with personality traits and white-matter indices in the corpus callosum and corona radiata (see, for example, Bjørnebekk et al, 2012;Parkinson & Wheatley, 2014;Xu & Potenza, 2012); however, most studies refrain from discussing these findings. Findings observed in both the corpus callosum and corona radiata are difficult to interpret because the two tracts radiate out, reaching a vast number of cortical areas (Aboitiz, Scheibel, Fisher, & Zaidel, 1992;Fitsiori, Nguyen, Karentzos, Delavelle, & Vargas, 2011), and because current knowledge about these fiber tracts is mostly limited to motor functioning (see Jang, 2009;Kim & Pope, 2005; Y. M. Song, 2007;Wahl & Ziemann, 2008). Overall, with these broad regions, it is difficult to make specific interpretations linking the tracts to distinct types of cognition.…”

Poststroke Subcortical Aphasia and Neurobehavioral Disturbances Without Motor or Sensory Deficits

“…The absence of overt and clinically important motor and sensory findings in a patient with a lesion involving the anterior two-thirds of the ICp of sufficient import to produce subcortical aphasia and other neuropsychiatric disturbances is quite unexpected and, to our knowledge, is previously unreported. Rare variant locations of descending and ascending white matter pathways, 3,4,8 including a shift of the pyramidal tract within the ICp to a relatively more posterior location, are associated with atypical patterns of motor involvement after capsular stroke. [8][9][10] Given the location of this patient's capsular lesion, she is suspected of bringing this type of variant capsular anatomy to her stroke.…”

Deterioration of pre-existing hemiparesis due to injury of the ipsilateral anterior corticospinal tract

“…According to our results, it appeared that the deterioration of the pre-existing right hemiparesis was ascribed to the injury of the right anterior CST following the new right pontine infarct, for the following reasons. First, the patient had been diagnosed with an infarct in the left MCA territory 7 years ago, involving whole CST in the left corona radiata [18]. Before the onset of the new right pontine infarct, the patient was able to walk independently and move his right arm partially.…”