The DTI connectivity of the human claustrum

Abstract

The origin, structure, and function of the claustrum, as well as its role in neural computation, have remained a mystery since its discovery in the 17th century. Assessing the in vivo connectivity of the claustrum may bring forth useful insights with relevance to models the overall functionality of the claustrum itself. Using structural and diffusion tensor neuroimaging in N=100 healthy subjects, we found that the claustrum has the highest connectivity in the brain by regional volume. Network theoretical analyses revealed that a) the claustrum is a primary contributor to global brain network architecture, and that b) significant connectivity dependencies exist between the claustrum, frontal lobe, and cingulate regions. These results illustrate that the claustrum is ideally located within the human CNS connectome to serve as the putative “gate keeper” of neural information for consciousness awareness. Our findings support and underscore prior theoretical contributions about the involvement of the claustrum in higher cognitive function and its relevance in devastating neurological disease.

Claustrum damage and refractory status epilepticus following febrile illness

“…16 Only in recent years has the scientific community gained a strong interest in the function of the claustrum, mainly with respect to its role in sensory integration and consciousness. [17][18][19][20][21] METHODS Patients and investigations. In a retrospective multicenter study ( -Dec 2013, information including demographic data, clinical features, diagnostic findings, therapeutic interventions, and clinical outcomes of patients fulfilling the following inclusion criteria were acquired: (1) previously healthy adults (.16 years of age) with refractory SE (failed IV treatment with antiepileptic drugs, requiring general anesthesia) 22 ; (2) onset of seizures 0-21 days after a febrile illness; and (3) lacking evidence of infectious agents in CSF.…”

“…Recent advances in neuroanatomy and physiology indicate this subcortical region as a highly relevant hub center in neural synchronization of several (and distant) cortical areas, and, as a consequence, a structure involved in integration of conscious perception. [17][18][19][20][21] Considering these physiologic properties of the claustrum, this structure could also be a key region in promoting the propagation and synchronization of abnormal epileptic activity from several cortical regions. To this point, 2 properties of claustral neurons are relevant.…”

“…First, claustro-cortical fibers connect the claustrum with several cortical areas, including the prefrontal, prepostcentral, posterior parietal, orbitofrontal, and medial temporal cortex. 20,21 Second, the claustrum is constituted by densely packed and tightly interconnected GABAergic interneurons. 17,18 Therefore, the claustrum can potentially bind together and modulate neural activities (epileptic activity in our case) from and to widespread cortical areas.…”

[P3–379]: Altered Functional Connectivity of the Basal Nucleus of Meynert in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Resting‐state Fmri Study

“…Previous studies reported that the claustrum was activated during episodic memory retrieval in HCs (Schwindt and Black, 2009). Recent work demonstrated that the claustrum receives input from multiple brain regions such as the parietal and the medial temporal structures (Park et al, 2012;Torgerson et al, 2015), while projecting to the insula and frontal pole (Burman et al, 2011). Via this anatomical connectivity, the claustrum may play an important role in binding multiple sources of information to facilitate memory-guided behavior.…”

“…The perisylvian division of the cholinergic fiber bundles originating from BNM traveled within the claustrum and supplied innervations to the insula (Selden et al, 1998). Previous studies revealed that the insula/claustrum is a crucial hub of the brain network integrating information from multiple brain regions through its extensive reciprocal connections to neocortical, limbic and paralimbic structures (Crick and Koch, 2005;Fernández-Miranda et al, 2008;Park et al, 2012;Torgerson et al, 2015). More recently, Seo and Choo (2016) demonstrated positive correlations between memory performance and regional cerebral glucose metabolism in bilateral claustrum and the left insula in MCI.…”