title: The differences of the precommissural and postcommissural fornix in the hippocampal location: a diffusion tensor tractography study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The precommissural fornix and postcommissural fornix have different connections to the basal forebrain and septal region, and mammillary body, respectively. However, little is known about the differences of the precommissural fornix and postcommissural fornix in the hippocampal location. In this study, using diffusion tensor tractography, we investigated the differences of the precommissural fornix and postcommissural fornix in the hippocampal location.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 25 healthy volunteers for this study. For reconstruction of the precommissural fornix and postcommissural fornix, we placed the seed region of interest on the septal nucleus, and the mammillary body, respectively. The target regions of interest (ROI) was given on the crus of the fornix on the coronal image. Evaluations of the anatomical location of the precommissural fornix and postcommissural fornix were performed using the highest probabilistic location in the hippocampal formation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The precommissural fornix and postcommissural fornix were located at an average of 83.9 and 87.5% between the lateral margin of the red nucleus and collateral sulcus on the axial plane, and 77.2 and 81.4% between the lateral margin of the midbrain and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus on the coronal plane. Significant differences of location in the medio-lateral direction were observed in the axial and coronal plane (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences of location in the antero-posterior direction were observed between precommissrual and postcommissural fornix (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reconstructed precommissural fornix and postcommissural fornix were connected to the cornu ammonis 1(CA1) of the hippocampus, and the precommissural fornix was located more laterally to the postcommissural fornix in the CA1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daemyungdong, Namku, Daegu, 705-717, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Science, Dankook University, 119, Dandae-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, 3116, Republic of Korea. eangbul@hanmail.net.
authors.forename: Sang Seok
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Yeo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D020712:Fornix, Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: Anatomical location; Diffusion tensor imaging; Hippocampus; Postcommissural fornix; Precommissural fornix