Teaching the eloquent areas of the brain by neuroimaging: Functional magnetic resonance and diffusion tensor tractography

Abstract

[EN]Background. It is a fact that students, professors and physicians show difficulties in learning and teaching the way to identify the speech areas and their connections, specially neurosurgeons to locate and assess the indication or contraindication of surgery due to the need of preserving the function. Purpose. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the major role and development of the new functional MR (fMR) techniques on the language areas, because they are not only used to assess the brain morphology but also the language function. Diffusion tensor tractography assesses the connections of the language-related areas by the white matter tracts. Method. We present a large amount of images of brain-CT, fMR and diffusion tensor tractography of the eloquent areas. Results. Brain speech areas and their connections by the white matter tracts are visually illustrated and described. Images prove to be very useful to understand the complexity of the language system and to locate speech areas avoiding the inter and intra individual variability. Conclusions. The application of this technology makes possible the visual learning of the complexity of the language system as well as the assessment and accurate delimitation of the brain damages and their relationship with the motor and eloquent areas of the brain.