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01-07-2021 | Original Article

The adhesio interthalamica as a neuroanatomical marker of structural differences in healthy adult population

Authors: Anna Miró-Padilla, Jesús Adrián-Ventura, Víctor Costumero, María-Ángeles Palomar-García, Esteban Villar-Rodríguez, Lidón Marin-Marin, Naiara Aguirre, Elisenda Bueichekú

Published in: Brain Structure and Function | Issue 6/2021

Abstract

The adhesio interthalamica (AI) is a small midline brain structure that connects the left and right thalamus. According to in vivo data, between 2.3 and 22.3% of the general population lack the AI, and the question of whether this absence is more prevalent in males than in females is a matter of debate. Despite the existence of these demographic figures, it remains unclear how this distinctive feature affects healthy people, or what specific anatomic profile is related to the presence or absence of the AI. The aim of this study was to investigate whole-brain gray matter (GM) volumetric differences depending on the presence or absence of the AI. A total of 240 healthy adult volunteers completed one MRI scanning session. After the AI assessment, the data from 110 participants were included in the final sample, of which 12.9% of the participants (n = 31) presented complete AI absence vs. 32.9% of participants (n = 79) who presented complete AI presence. Then, whole-brain group comparison analysis revealed that the absent AI brain, compared to the present AI brain, was associated with lower GM volume in the premotor cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, and anterior temporal cortex. Interestingly, neuroscience research has linked emotional and cognitive control brain processing to the latter two regions. The importance of these findings lies in providing a neuroanatomical profile for the absent AI brain in healthy human adults.

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Title: The adhesio interthalamica as a neuroanatomical marker of structural differences in healthy adult population
Authors: Anna Miró-Padilla
Jesús Adrián-Ventura
Víctor Costumero
María-Ángeles Palomar-García
Esteban Villar-Rodríguez
Lidón Marin-Marin
Naiara Aguirre
Elisenda Bueichekú
Publication date: 01-07-2021
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Brain Structure and Function / Issue 6/2021
Print ISSN: 1863-2653
Electronic ISSN: 1863-2661
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-021-02297-6

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Springer Medicine

The adhesio interthalamica as a neuroanatomical marker of structural differences in healthy adult population

Abstract

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Springer Medicine

Abstract

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