title: Anatomic location and somatotopic arrangement of the corticospinal tract at the cerebral peduncle in the human brain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known about the detailed anatomic location and somatotopic arrangement at the CP. Using DTT with FSL tools, we conducted an investigation of the anatomic location and somatotopic arrangement of the CST at the CP in the human brain.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 43 healthy volunteers for this study. DTI was obtained by using 1.5T, and CSTs for the hand and leg were obtained by using the FSL tool. The somatotopic location of the CST was evaluated as the highest probabilistic location at the upper and lower midbrain. The posterior boundary was determined as the line between the interpeduncular fossa and the lateral sulcus; we then drew a rectangle on the basis of the boundary of the CP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the mediolateral direction, the highest probabilistic locations for the hand and leg were an average of 60.46% and 69.98% from the medial boundary at the upper midbrain level and 53.44% and 62.76% at the lower midbrain level, respectively. As for the anteroposterior direction, the highest probabilistic locations for the hand and leg were an average of 28.26% and 32.03% from the anterior boundary at the upper midbrain level and 30.19% and 33.59% at the lower midbrain level, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that the hand somatotopy for the CST is located at the middle portion of the CP and the leg somatotopy is located lateral to the hand somatotopy.
authors: Department of Physical Therapy, Daegu University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors: H G
authors: HG
authors: Kwon
authors: J H
authors: JH
authors: Hong
authors: S H
authors: SH
authors: Jang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013681:Tegmentum Mesencephali / Q000033:anatomy & histology*