ArticleHuman brain mapping2022
Structural connectivity of autonomic, pain, limbic, and sensory brainstem nuclei in living humans based on 7 Tesla and 3 Tesla MRI.
Article in Human brain mapping, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Weakening of Subcortical and Strengthening of Cortical Visual Pathways Across Early Adolescence.Human brain mapping · 2026Article
- Structure-function coupling in the human brainstem.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Probabilistic mapping and automated segmentation of human brainstem white matter bundles.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- MRI methods for the study of central nervous system involvement in autonomic function.Frontiers in network physiology · 2026Review
- The neuroscience of highly stable, positive, and refined states of consciousness during jhana-type advanced concentration absorption meditation (ACAM-J).bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Large-scale brainstem neuroimaging and genetic analyses provide new insights into the neuronal mechanisms of hypertension.HGG advances · 2025Article
- Poly-symptomatology of chronic multi-canalicular benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: a deductive, inductive, and abductive narrative review.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Review
- The vestibular system in pain and embodiment: cortical overlap, modulatory potential, and therapeutic perspectives.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Article
- Characteristic of cerebral hemodynamics and functional connectivity in patients with neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury: an exploratory study.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Article
- Integrating brainstem and cortical functional architectures.Nature neuroscience · 2024Article
- Sensorimotor regulation of facial expression - An untouched frontier.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2024Review
- Multimodal MRI reveals brainstem connections that sustain wakefulness in human consciousness.Science translational medicine · 2024Article
- Role of autonomic, nociceptive, and limbic brainstem nuclei in core autism features.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2024Article
- Advances in VNS efficiency and mechanisms of action on cognitive functions.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Review
- Integrating brainstem and cortical functional architectures.Research square · 2023Article
- Integrating brainstem and cortical functional architectures.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2023Article
- Structural connectivity of autonomic, pain, limbic, and sensory brainstem nuclei in living humans based on 7 Tesla and 3 Tesla MRI.Human brain mapping · 2022Article
- Causal influence of brainstem response to transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation on cardiovagal outflow.Brain stimulationArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Autonomic, pain, limbic, and sensory processes are mainly governed by the central nervous system, with brainstem nuclei as relay centers for these crucial functions. Yet, the structural connectivity of brainstem nuclei in living humans remains understudied. These tiny structures are difficult to locate using conventional in vivo MRI, and ex vivo brainstem nuclei atlases lack precise and automatic transformability to in vivo images. To fill this gap, we mapped our recently developed probabilistic brainstem nuclei atlas developed in living humans to high-spatial resolution (1.7 mm isotropic) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) at 7 Tesla in 20 healthy participants. To demonstrate clinical translatability, we also acquired 3 Tesla DWI with conventional resolution (2.5 mm isotropic) in the same participants. Results showed the structural connectome of 15 autonomic, pain, limbic, and sensory (including vestibular) brainstem nuclei/nuclei complex (superior/inferior colliculi, ventral tegmental area-parabrachial pigmented, microcellular tegmental-parabigeminal, lateral/medial parabrachial, vestibular, superior olivary, superior/inferior medullary reticular formation, viscerosensory motor, raphe magnus/pallidus/obscurus, parvicellular reticular nucleus-alpha part), derived from probabilistic tractography computation. Through graph measure analysis, we identified network hubs and demonstrated high intercommunity communication in these nuclei. We found good (r = .5) translational capability of the 7 Tesla connectome to clinical (i.e., 3 Tesla) datasets. Furthermore, we validated the structural connectome by building diagrams of autonomic/pain/limbic connectivity, vestibular connectivity, and their interactions, and by inspecting the presence of specific links based on human and animal literature. These findings offer a baseline for studies of these brainstem nuclei and their functions in health and disease, including autonomic dysfunction, chronic pain, psychiatric, and vestibular disorders.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.