Anatomical Characteristics of Thalamus-Cortical Sensory Tract in the Human Brain Using Diffusion Tensor Tractography at 3.0 Tesla Scanner

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Our knowledge about characteristics of the thalamocortical tract (THT) according to the cerebral origin is still few of studies about this structure on Vietnamese.

AIM: Here, we aim to characterise the morphology of the thalamocortical tract in the human brain using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) at 3.0 tesla scanner.

METHODS: Fifty healthy subjects have enrolled in this study. Reconstructed images of the thalamocortical tract in the human brain were built using DTT at 3.0 tesla scanner.

RESULTS: The median length of the right thalamocortical tract was 130.64 mm, and the left THT was 123.14 mm, and an average of two sides was 126.34 mm. The difference between the two sides was statically significance (p < 0.001). The median fibre number of the right THT was 401.50, and the left THT was 315.00, and an average of two sides was 365.50. There was a diverse branch of THT: two branches (5%); three branches (25%); four branches (42%); five branches (16%); six branches (12%); in which branched contralateral for the right was 50%, and for the left was 50%.

CONCLUSION: Using the DTI and 3D image reconstruction techniques allow to build the image of sensory THT intuitively and accurately, which helps to identify the morphological characteristic of the thalamocortical tract of healthy people without invasive effects.