ArticleFrontiers in neuroimaging2022
A structural connectivity atlas of limbic brainstem nuclei.
Article in Frontiers in neuroimaging, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 19 papers.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed.
- Structure-function coupling in the human brainstem.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as a potential target for electrical stimulation in the treatment of vestibular-based nausea.The Journal of physiology · 2026Review
- 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
- The nucleus tractus solitarii across vertebrates: developmental origins, comparative organization, and supranuclear modulation in humans.Frontiers in integrative neuroscience · 2026Review
- Transcription factors implicated in substance use disorder, from immediate early genes to altered gene expression.Brain research · 2026Review
- Age-Related Increase in Locus Ceruleus Activity and Connectivity with the Prefrontal Cortex during Ambiguity Processing.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2025Article
- Panic attack symptoms in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Biochemical strategies for opioid-sparing pain management in the operating room.Biochemistry and biophysics reports · 2025Review
- Interaction of the Vagus Nerve and Serotonin in the Gut-Brain Axis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Effects of insecure attachment on fMRI resting state functional connectivity in poly drug use disorder.PloS one · 2025Observational
- Evaluation of the efficacy of auricular acupressure in preventing depression in adolescents with insomnia: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Right Hemispheric Neuronal Dysfunction in Cancer Pain: A Resting-State fMRI Exploratory Study.Journal of pain research · 2025Article
- The Locus Coeruleus in Chronic Pain.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Lower in vivo locus coeruleus integrity is associated with lower cortical thickness in older individuals with elevated Alzheimer's pathology: a cohort study.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2024Article
- Neuromodulatory subcortical nucleus integrity is associated with white matter microstructure, tauopathy and APOE status.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Automatic Geometry-based Estimation of the Locus Coeruleus Region on TbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Automatic geometry-based estimation of the locus coeruleus region on TFrontiers in neuroscience · 2024Article
- Degree centrality-based resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging explores central mechanisms in lumbar disc herniation patients with chronic low back pain.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Article
- Lesion network localization of depression in multiple sclerosis.Nature. Mental health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Background: Understanding the structural connectivity of key brainstem nuclei with limbic cortical regions is essential to the development of therapeutic neuromodulation for depression, chronic pain, addiction, anxiety and movement disorders. Several brainstem nuclei have been identified as the primary central nervous system (CNS) source of important monoaminergic ascending fibers including the noradrenergic locus coeruleus, serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus, and dopaminergic ventral tegmental area. However, due to practical challenges to their study, there is limited data regarding their Objective: To evaluate the structural connectivity of the following brainstem nuclei with limbic cortical areas: locus coeruleus, ventral tegmental area, periaqueductal grey, dorsal raphe nucleus, and nucleus tractus solitarius. Additionally, to develop a group average atlas of these limbic brainstem structures to facilitate future analyses. Methods: Each nucleus was manually masked from 197 Human Connectome Project (HCP) structural MRI images using FSL software. Probabilistic tractography was performed using FSL's FMRIB Diffusion Toolbox. Connectivity with limbic cortical regions was calculated and compared between brainstem nuclei. Results were aggregated to produce a freely available MNI structural atlas of limbic brainstem structures. Results: A general trend was observed for a high probability of connectivity to the amygdala, hippocampus and DLPFC with relatively lower connectivity to the orbitofrontal cortex, NAc, hippocampus and insula. The locus coeruleus and nucleus tractus solitarius demonstrated significantly greater connectivity to the DLPFC than amygdala while the periaqueductal grey, dorsal raphe nucleus, and ventral tegmental area did not demonstrate a significant difference between these two structures. Conclusion: Monoaminergic and other modulatory nuclei in the brainstem project widely to cortical limbic regions. We describe the structural connectivity across the several key brainstem nuclei theorized to influence emotion, reward, and cognitive functions. An increased understanding of the anatomic basis of the brainstem's role in emotion and other reward-related processing will support targeted neuromodulatary therapies aimed at alleviating the symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders.
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