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Lateral premotor cortex (PM) in the macaque monkey can be segregated into structurally and functionally distinct subregions, including a major division between dorsal (PMd) and ventral (PMv) parts, which have distinct cytoarchitecture, function, and patterns of connectivity with both frontal and parietal cortical areas. The borders of their subregions are less well defined in the human brain. Here we use diffusion tractography to identify a reproducible border between dorsal and ventral subregions of human precentral gyrus. We derive connectivity fingerprints for the two subregions and demonstrate that each has a distinctive pattern of connectivity with frontal cortex and lateral parietal cortex, suggesting that these areas correspond to human PMd and PMv. Although putative human PMd has a high probability of connection with the superior parietal lobule, dorsal prefrontal cortex, and cingulate cortex, human PMv has a higher probability of connection with the anterior inferior parietal lobule and ventral prefrontal cortex. Finally, we assess the correspondence between our PMd/PMv border and local sulcal and functional anatomy. The location of the border falls at the level of the gyral branch that divides the inferior precentral sulcus from the superior precentral sulcus and corresponded closely to the location of a functional border defined using previous functional magnetic resonance imaging studies.

Original publication

DOI

10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2144-07.2007

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Neurosci

Publication Date

19/09/2007

Volume

27

Pages

10259 - 10269

Keywords

Adult, Brain Mapping, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Female, Humans, Male, Motor Cortex, Neural Pathways, Parietal Lobe, Prefrontal Cortex