Skip to main content
Log in

Anatomy and white-matter connections of the precuneus

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Brain Imaging and Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose Advances in neuroimaging have provided an understanding of the precuneus’(PCu) involvement in functions such as visuospatial processing and cognition. While the PCu has been previously determined to be apart of a higher-order default mode network (DMN), recent studies suggest the presence of possible dissociations from this model in order to explain the diverse functions the PCu facilitates, such as in episodic memory. An improved structural model of the white-matter anatomy of the PCu can demonstrate its unique cerebral connections with adjacent regions which can provide additional clarity on its role in integrating information across higher-order cerebral networks like the DMN. Furthermore, this information can provide clinically actionable anatomic information that can support clinical decision making to improve neurologic outcomes such as during cerebral surgery. Here, we sought to derive the relationship between the precuneus and underlying major white-mater bundles by characterizing its macroscopic connectivity. Methods Structural tractography was performed on twenty healthy adult controls from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) utilizing previously demonstrated methodology. All precuneus connections were mapped in both cerebral hemispheres and inter-hemispheric differences in resultant tract volumes were compared with an unpaired, corrected Mann–Whitney U test and a laterality index (LI) was completed. Ten postmortem dissections were then performed to serve as ground truth by using a modified Klingler technique with careful preservation of relevant white matter bundles. Results The precuneus is a heterogenous cortical region with five major types of connections that were present bilaterally. (1) Short association fibers connect the gyri of the precuneus and connect the precuneus to the superior parietal lobule and the occipital cortex. (2) Four distinct parts of the cingulum bundle connect the precuneus to the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe. (3) The middle longitudinal fasciculus from the precuneus connects to the superior temporal gyrus and the dorsolateral temporal pole. (4) Parietopontine fibers travel as part of the corticopontine fibers to connect the precuneus to pontine regions. (5) An extensive commissural bundle connects the precuneus bilaterally. Conclusion We present a summary of the anatomic connections of the precuneus as part of an effort to understand the function of the precuneus and highlight key white-matter pathways to inform surgical decision-making. Our findings support recent models suggesting unique fiber connections integrating at the precuneus which may suggest finer subsystems of the DMN or unique networks, but further study is necessary to refine our model in greater quantitative detail.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Download references

Acknowledgements

Data were provided [in part] by the Human Connectome Project, WU-Minn Consortium (Principal Investigators: David Van Essen and Kamil Ugurbil; 1U54MH091657) funded by the 16 NIH Institutes and Centers that support the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research; and by the McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience at Washington University.

Funding

No funding was provided for this research study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

Author contributions included conception and study design (MES, RGB and IMY), data collection or acquisition (RGB, OT and RDF), statistical analysis (OT, RDF and VD), interpretation of results (IMG, JH, and MYB), drafting the manuscript work or revising it critically for important intellectual content (IMY, ND, MES, YL, JH and OT) and approval of final version to be published and agreement to be accountable for the integrity and accuracy of all aspects of the work (All authors).

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael E. Sughrue.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Dr. Sughrue is the Chief Medical Officer of Omniscient Neurotechnologies. No products directly related to this were discussed in this paper. All other authors have no financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

The majority of data used was collected by the Human Connectome Project and its de-identified data is accessible in a public database. They followed the appropriate ethics review board standards, and as it is publicly available, its use is internal review board exempt. The use of cadaver dissections was approved by the State Anatomic Board in Oklahoma, United States.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tanglay, O., Young, I.M., Dadario, N.B. et al. Anatomy and white-matter connections of the precuneus. Brain Imaging and Behavior 16, 574–586 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-021-00529-1

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-021-00529-1

Keywords

Navigation