Although the middle temporal gyrus (MTG) has been parcellated into subregions with distinguished anatomical connectivity patterns, whether the structural topography of MTG can inform functional segregations of this area remains largely unknown. Accumulating evidence suggests that the brain's underlying organization and function can be directly and effectively delineated with resting‐state functional connectivity (RSFC) by identifying putative functional boundaries between cortical areas. Here, RSFC profiles were used to explore functional segregations of the MTG and defined four subregions from anterior to posterior in two independent datasets, which showed a similar pattern with MTG parcellation scheme obtained using anatomical connectivity. The functional segregations of MTG were further supported by whole brain RSFC, coactivation, and specific RFSC, and coactivation mapping. Furthermore, the fingerprint with predefined 10 networks and functional characterizations of each subregion using meta‐analysis also identified functional distinction between subregions. The specific connectivity analysis and functional characterization indicated that the bilateral most anterior subregions mainly participated in social cognition and semantic processing; the ventral middle subregions were involved in social cognition in left hemisphere and auditory processing in right hemisphere; the bilateral ventro‐posterior subregions participated in action observation, whereas the left subregion was also involved in semantic processing; both of the dorsal subregions in superior temporal sulcus were involved in language, social cognition, and auditory processing. Taken together, our findings demonstrated MTG sharing similar structural and functional topographies and provide more detailed information about the functional organization of the MTG, which may facilitate future clinical and cognitive research on this area.
Some studies identified hypo-connectivity, while others showed hyper-connectivity of the insula in the autism spectrum disorders (ASD). These contradictory findings leave open the question of whether and to what extent functional connectivity of the insula is altered and how functional connectivity of the insula is associated with the severity of ASD. A newly emerging insular atlas that comprises multiple functionally differentiated subregions provides a new framework to interpret the functional significance of insular findings and uncover the mechanisms underlying the severity of ASD. Using the new insular atlas, the present study aimed to investigate the distinct functional connectivity of the insular subregions and their associations with ASD severity in a cohort of 49 children with ASD and 33 typically developing (TD) subjects. We found that compared with TD group, the ASD group showed different connectivity patterns in the left ventral agranular insula, right ventral dysgranular and granular insula, and dorsal dysgranular insula, characterized by significant hyper-connectivity and/or hypo-connectivity with special brain regions. Furthermore, both the hypo-connectivity and hyper-connectivity patterns of the insular subregions were significantly associated with the severity of ASD symptoms. Our research demonstrated distinct functional connectivity patterns of the insular subregions and emphasized the importance of the subdivisions within the insula to the potential impact of functional difference in children with ASD. Moreover, these results might help us to better understand the mechanisms underlying the symptoms in children with ASD and might elucidate potential biomarkers for clinical applications.
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