Damage to the Frontal Aslant Tract Accounts for Visuo-Constructive Deficits in Alzheimer’s Disease

Serra, Laura; Gabrielli, Giulia; Tuzzi, Elisa; Spanò, Barbara; Giulietti, Giovanni; Failoni, Virginia; Marra, Camillo; Caltagirone, Carlo; Koch, Giacomo; Cercignani, Mara; Bozzali, Marco

doi:10.3233/jad-170638

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…That is, broadly defined, interactions between these regions establish action plans for the output of sequential (nonspeech) motor programs, and together decide on a "winning" action plan, implemented via downstream interactions in basal ganglia and motor cortex. Consistent with this idea are studies that show that diffusion FA of the right FAT is related to deficits in constructional apraxia (Serra et al, 2017), and to more efficient visuomotor processing during manual movements, resulting in smoother movement trajectories (Budisavljevic et al, 2017). This again points to the importance of this tract in sequential movement planning.…”

Section: Proposed Function Of the Frontal Aslant Tractmentioning

confidence: 61%

The frontal aslant tract (FAT) and its role in speech, language and executive function

Dick

Garic

Graziano

et al. 2019

Cortex

206

125

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In this review, we examine the structural connectivity of a recently-identified fiber pathway, the frontal aslant tract (FAT), and explore its function. We first review structural connectivity studies using tract-tracing methods in non-human primates, and diffusion-weighted imaging and electrostimulation in humans. These studies suggest a monosynaptic connection exists between the lateral inferior frontal gyrus and the pre-supplementary and supplementary motor areas of the medial superior frontal gyrus. This connection is termed the FAT. We then review research on the left FAT's putative role in supporting speech and language function, with particular focus on speech initiation, stuttering and verbal fluency. Next, we review research on the right FAT's putative role supporting executive function, namely inhibitory control and conflict monitoring for action. We summarize the extant body of empirical work by suggesting that the FAT plays a domain general role in the planning, timing, and coordination of sequential motor movements through the resolution of competition among potential motor plans. However, we also propose some domain specialization across the hemispheres. On the left hemisphere, the circuit is proposed to be specialized for speech actions. On the right hemisphere, the circuit is proposed to be specialized for general action control of the organism, especially in the visuo-spatial domain. We close the review with a discussion of the clinical significance of the FAT, and suggestions for further research on the pathway.

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Section: Proposed Function Of the Frontal Aslant Tractmentioning

confidence: 61%

The frontal aslant tract (FAT) and its role in speech, language and executive function

Dick

Garic

Graziano

et al. 2019

Cortex

206

125

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although neurodegeneration in AD is typically assessed via acquisition and whole-brain modeling of structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), synapse loss is the neurodegenerative feature best linked to deficits in mental abilities (Terry et al, 1991). Consistently (although transposed to a larger scale), a large body of research based on experimental modeling of functional MRI (fMRI) hemodynamic functional connectivity has confirmed that neural disconnection is a major substrate of specific cognitive and behavioral deficits in AD (Antoine et al, 2019;Jones et al, 2019;Liang et al, 2011;Pasquini et al, 2019;Serra et al, 2017;Vallet et al, 2013;Venneri et al, 2017;Yamashita et al, 2019). Clinical phenotypes, however, are not the sole result of an abnormally impoverished functional circuitry, but they may also be associated with aberrant increases in functional connectivity (Balthazar et al, 2014;de Lange and Scholtens, 2019;Gardini et al, 2015;Hillary et al, 2015;Liang et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional Strength of Large-Scale Functional Brain Networks is Associated with Regional Volumes in Older Adults and in Alzheimer's Disease

et al. 2021

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Background: The association between regional volumes and resting-state functional networks was tested within the default-mode network (DMN), influenced by Alzheimer pathology, salience network (SalN), not under similar pathological influence, and sensorimotor network (SMN), usually spared by pathology. Methods: A total of 148 participants, with Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and healthy controls underwent multimodal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Functional network identification was achieved with group-level independent-component analysis of functional MRI (fMRI) scans. T1 weighted images were also analyzed. Ten regions of interest (ROI) were defined in core hubs of the three networks. Gray-matter volume/functional network strength association was tested within-ROI and cross-ROI in each group by using partial-correlation models and ROI-to-ROI, ROI-to-voxel, and voxel-to-voxel correlations. Results: In controls, a negative association was found between right inferior-parietal volumes and SMN expression in the left precentral gyrus, as revealed by ROI-to-ROI models. In AD, DMN expression was positively associated with the volume of the left insula and the right inferior parietal lobule, and SalN expression was positively associated with volume of the left inferior parietal lobule. ROI-to-voxel models revealed significant associations between the volume of the posterior cingulate cortex and SMN expression in sensorimotor and premotor regions. No significant findings emerged in the MCI nor from voxel-to-voxel analyses. Discussion: Regional volumes of main network hubs are significantly associated with hemodynamic network expression, although patterns are intricate and dependent on diagnostic status. Since distinct networks are differentially influenced by Alzheimer pathology, it appears that pathology plays a significant role in influencing the association between regional volumes and regional functional network strength.

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“…The main findings emerge from works conducted with various populations, including healthy adult individuals 14,30,31,17,32,19 and children 25,24 as well as patients presenting with brain tumors [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] or poststroke aphasia [46][47][48] . A significant part of these studies also included patients with neurodegenerative diseases, in particular primary progressive aphasia [49][50][51] , Alzheimer's disease 52 , parkinsonian syndrome 53 or multiple sclerosis [54][55] . Patients with developmental stuttering [56][57] or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or unaffected siblings [58][59][60][61][62] have been also the target of frequent investigations.…”

Section: Putative Functions Of the Fatmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…46,44,32 and executive functions, attention e.g. 24,45 , working memory 30,17,19 and social cognition 60,61 ; visual and visuospatial processing 31,59,52 , visuo-constructive praxis 52 and manual motor skills 31 .…”

Section: Putative Functions Of the Fatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional anatomy of the frontal aslant tract and surgical perspectives

Burkhardt¹,

Kinoshita²,

Herbet

2022

J Neurosurg Sci

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The frontal aslant tract (FAT) is an intralobar white matter fasciculus providing dense connections between the medial part of the superior frontal gyrus, in particular the pre-supplementary motor area (SMA) and the SMA proper, and the lateral part of the frontal lobe, especially the inferior frontal gyrus. Although this tract has been characterized belatedly, it has received important attention in recent years due notably to its increasingly evidenced role in the speech and language networks. As cerebral tumors frequently affect the frontal lobe, an improved knowledge of the functional anatomy of the FAT is mandatory to refine the way neurosurgeries are performed and to give the patients the best opportunities to recover after surgery. In this work, we first describe the spatial arrangement of the FAT and detail its cortical projections. We then provide a comprehensive review of the functions supposedly mediated by this transverse frontal connectivity. It is structured following a tripartite organization where the linguistic (i.e. speech and language), supralinguistic (i.e. functions that interact with speech and language: executive functions, working memory, and social communication) and extralinguistic implications (i.e. functions outside the linguistic domain: visuospatial processing, praxis and motor skills) are successively addressed. We lastly discussed this knowledge in the context of wide-awake neurosurgeries for brain tumors. We emphasize the need to evaluate thoroughly the functions conveyed by FAT by means of longitudinally-designed studies to first estimate its plasticity potential and then to determine which tasks should be selected to avoid lasting impairments due to its disconnective breakdown.

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Damage to the Frontal Aslant Tract Accounts for Visuo-Constructive Deficits in Alzheimer’s Disease

Cited by 13 publications

References 50 publications

The frontal aslant tract (FAT) and its role in speech, language and executive function

The frontal aslant tract (FAT) and its role in speech, language and executive function

Regional Strength of Large-Scale Functional Brain Networks is Associated with Regional Volumes in Older Adults and in Alzheimer's Disease

Functional anatomy of the frontal aslant tract and surgical perspectives

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