title: Attention Performance Measured by Attention Network Test Is Correlated with Global and Regional Efficiency of Structural Brain Networks.
abstract: Functional neuroimaging studies have indicated the involvement of separate brain areas in three distinct attention systems: alerting, orienting, and executive control (EC). However, the structural correlates underlying attention remains unexplored. Here, we utilized graph theory to examine the neuroanatomical substrates of the three attention systems measured by attention network test (ANT) in 65 healthy subjects. White matter connectivity, assessed with diffusion tensor imaging deterministic tractography was modeled as a structural network comprising 90 nodes defined by the automated anatomical labeling (AAL) template. Linear regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between topological parameters and the three attentional effects. We found a significant positive correlation between EC function and global efficiency of the whole brain network. At the regional level, node-specific correlations were discovered between regional efficiency and all three ANT components, including dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus, thalamus and parahippocampal gyrus for EC, thalamus and inferior parietal gyrus for alerting, and paracentral lobule and inferior occipital gyrus for orienting. Our findings highlight the fundamental architecture of interregional structural connectivity involved in attention and could provide new insights into the anatomical basis underlying human behavior.
authors: Research Center for Sectional Imaging Anatomy, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, School of Medicine, Shandong UniversityJinan, China; Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, MontrealQC, Canada.
authors: Min
authors: M
authors: Xiao
authors: Research Center for Sectional Imaging Anatomy, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, School of Medicine, Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors: Haitao
authors: H
authors: Ge
authors: Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal QC, Canada.
authors: Budhachandra S
authors: BS
authors: Khundrakpam
authors: Research Center for Sectional Imaging Anatomy, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, School of Medicine, Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors: Junhai
authors: J
authors: Xu
authors: Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal QC, Canada.
authors: Gleb
authors: G
authors: Bezgin
authors: Research Center for Sectional Imaging Anatomy, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, School of Medicine, Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors: Yuan
authors: Y
authors: Leng
authors: Laboratory of Neuroimaging, Institute of Neuroimaging and Informatics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles CA, USA.
authors: Lu
authors: L
authors: Zhao
authors: Research Center for Sectional Imaging Anatomy, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, School of Medicine, Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors: Yuchun
authors: Y
authors: Tang
authors: Research Center for Sectional Imaging Anatomy, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, School of Medicine, Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors: Xinting
authors: X
authors: Ge
authors: Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal QC, Canada.
authors: Seun
authors: S
authors: Jeon
authors: Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Qingdao, China.
authors: Wenjian
authors: W
authors: Xu
authors: Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal QC, Canada.
authors: Alan C
authors: AC
authors: Evans
authors: Research Center for Sectional Imaging Anatomy, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, School of Medicine, Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors: Shuwei
authors: S
authors: Liu
keywords: attention; attention network test; diffusion tensor imaging; graph analysis; structural brain network