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Individual functional anatomy of verb generation.

Examination of the individual functional anatomy of language is of particular interest in clinical neurology to explain the variability of aphasic symptoms after focal lesions and to avoid damage of language-related brain areas by surgery. For a silent verb generation task, we examined whether activation PET with 3D data acquisition, multiple replication of conditions, and coregistration with MRI provides results that are consistent and reproducible enough to be useful clinically. Visual analysis was performed on PET-MRI fusion images, including renderings of the brain surface. Quantitative analysis was based on volumes of interest. In seven right-handed normals, activation of the triangular part of the left inferior frontal cortex [Brodman area (BA) 45] was the most significant finding that was present in each subject. Two subjects showed minor anatomical variants of the ascending or horizontal ramus of the sylvian fissure that were associated with the least activation of BA 45. In the left hemisphere the other frontal gyri, the superior temporal and posterior part of the middle temporal gyrus, and the paracingulate gyrus were also significantly activated. There was significant bilateral cerebellar activation, but it was significantly more intense on the right than on the left side. The consistency and high interindividual reproducibility of these findings suggest that this technique may be useful for clinical assessment of language-related areas.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

A solution to the worn tooth conundrum in primate functional anatomy.

Worn teeth are a bane to paleobiologists interested in the diets of human ancestors and other fossil primates. Although worn teeth dominate fossil assemblages, their shapes are usually not used to reconstruct the diets of extinct species. The problem is that traditional studies of primate dental functional anatomy have focused on unworn morphology. This has limited most functional analyses to only a few well-represented fossil species. This paper introduces a method to characterize and compare worn occlusal morphology in primates using laser scanning and geographic information systems technologies. A study of variably worn chimpanzee and gorilla molars indicates that differences between these species in tooth shape remain consistent at given stages of wear. Although cusp slope decreases with wear in both taxa, angularity values remain unchanged. These results indicate that African ape teeth wear in a manner that keeps them mechanically efficient for fracturing specific foods. Studies of changes in tooth shape with wear add a new dimension to dental functional anatomy, and offer a more complete picture of dental-dietary adaptations. Also, given how rare unworn teeth are in the fossil record, the ability to include worn specimens in analyses opens the door to reconstructing the diets of many more extinct primate groups, allowing us to better understand the adaptive radiation of our order.

Analysis of Variance↗

Functional anatomy of the gastroesophageal junction.

The study of the functional anatomy of the gastroesophageal junction allows for the demonstration of a double mechanism that combats the conflict of pressures that tends to lead to gastroesophageal reflux. On one hand, the LES, an intrinsic structure, is directly related to the muscle fibers of the organ and responds to a neurohormonal physiologic command. On the other hand is an anatomic entity, centered by the crura of the diaphragm, closely related to the movements of respiration. These structures constitute a second, extrinsic sphincter that gives rise to the zone of high pressure in the terminal esophagus. This role is difficult to assess, and its importance is underestimated. The proper functioning of these two mechanisms implies that the gastroesophageal junction remains in place within the diaphragmatic channel of the esophagus. Also important are the postural phenomena associated with the sloping position of the fundus. In patients with gastroesophageal reflux, the decrease of the pressure measured in the terminal esophagus accounts for the occurrence of reflux. Investigators concede that, under the influence of abdominal straining, the gastroesophageal junction tends to ascend into the diaphragmatic channel. The results are twofold: (1) the muscle fibers of the lower esophagus relax, explaining the incompetence of the intrinsic sphincter, and (2) the sphincteric zone is withdrawn from its muscular diaphragmatic environment. Physicians should consider these structures as a whole in approaching the surgical treatment of reflux. The construction of a periesophageal valve has no anatomophysiologic basis. A gastropexy procedure must be added to replace the gastroesophageal junction in its anatomic setting and keep it there. This procedure also allows retightening of the muscle fibers of the esophageal wall, which is essential in long-term surgical correction.

Esophagogastric Junction↗

Functional anatomy of perceptual and semantic processing for odors.

The functional anatomy of perceptual and semantic processings for odors was studied using positron emission tomography (PET). The first experiment was a pretest in which 71 normal subjects were asked to rate 185 odorants in terms of intensity, familiarity, hedonicity, and comestibility and to name the odorants. This pretest was necessary to select the most appropriate stimuli for the different cognitive tasks of the second experiment. The second one was a PET experiment in which 15 normal subjects were scanned using the water bolus method to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during the performance in three conditions. In the first (perceptual) condition, subjects were asked to judge whether an odor was familiar or not. In the second (semantic) condition, subjects had to decide whether an odor corresponded to a comestible item or not. In the third (detection) condition, subjects had to judge whether the perceived stimulus was made of an odor or was just air. It was hypothetized that the three tasks were hierarchically organized from a superficial detection level to a deep semantic level. Odorants were presented with an air-flow olfactometer, which allowed the stimulations to be synchronized with breathing. Subtraction of activation images obtained between familiarity and control judgments revealed that familiarity judgments were mainly associated with the activity of the right orbito-frontal area, the subcallosal gyrus, the left inferior frontal gyrus, the left superior frontal gyrus, and the anterior cingulate (Brodmann's areas 11, 25, 47, 9, and 32, respectively). The comestibility minus familiarity comparison showed that comestibility judgments selectively activated the primary visual areas. In contrast, a decrease in rCBF was observed in these same visual areas for familiarity judgments and in the orbito-frontal area for comestibility judgments. These results suggest that orbito-frontal and visual regions interact in odor processing in a complementary way, depending on the task requirements.

Adult↗

Functional anatomy of the penguin flipper.

This study investigates the functional anatomy of the flipper of the jackass penguin (Speniscus demersus). The flippers of birds (n = 15) were dissected and described. Several adaptations from the typical avian wing were noted and reasons were proposed for these. The conclusion is that the osteological and myological adaptations of the flipper are designed to enable the penguin to progress very effectively through water, while the vascular adaptations provide a highly efficient mechanism for thermoregulation.

Animals↗

Dorsal and ventral streams: a framework for understanding aspects of the functional anatomy of language.

Despite intensive work on language-brain relations, and a fairly impressive accumulation of knowledge over the last several decades, there has been little progress in developing large-scale models of the functional anatomy of language that integrate neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and psycholinguistic data. Drawing on relatively recent developments in the cortical organization of vision, and on data from a variety of sources, we propose a new framework for understanding aspects of the functional anatomy of language which moves towards remedying this situation. The framework posits that early cortical stages of speech perception involve auditory fields in the superior temporal gyrus bilaterally (although asymmetrically). This cortical processing system then diverges into two broad processing streams, a ventral stream, which is involved in mapping sound onto meaning, and a dorsal stream, which is involved in mapping sound onto articulatory-based representations. The ventral stream projects ventro-laterally toward inferior posterior temporal cortex (posterior middle temporal gyrus) which serves as an interface between sound-based representations of speech in the superior temporal gyrus (again bilaterally) and widely distributed conceptual representations. The dorsal stream projects dorso-posteriorly involving a region in the posterior Sylvian fissure at the parietal-temporal boundary (area Spt), and ultimately projecting to frontal regions. This network provides a mechanism for the development and maintenance of "parity" between auditory and motor representations of speech. Although the proposed dorsal stream represents a very tight connection between processes involved in speech perception and speech production, it does not appear to be a critical component of the speech perception process under normal (ecologically natural) listening conditions, that is, when speech input is mapped onto a conceptual representation. We also propose some degree of bi-directionality in both the dorsal and ventral pathways. We discuss some recent empirical tests of this framework that utilize a range of methods. We also show how damage to different components of this framework can account for the major symptom clusters of the fluent aphasias, and discuss some recent evidence concerning how sentence-level processing might be integrated into the framework.

Aphasia↗

Functional anatomy of nonvisual feedback loops during reaching: a positron emission tomography study.

Reaching movements performed without vision of the moving limb are continuously monitored, during their execution, by feedback loops (designated nonvisual). In this study, we investigated the functional anatomy of these nonvisual loops using positron emission tomography (PET). Seven subjects had to "look at" (eye) or "look and point to" (eye-arm) visual targets whose location either remained stationary or changed undetectably during the ocular saccade (when vision is suppressed). Slightly changing the target location during gaze shift causes an increase in the amount of correction to be generated. Functional anatomy of nonvisual feedback loops was identified by comparing the reaching condition involving large corrections (jump) with the reaching condition involving small corrections (stationary), after subtracting the activations associated with saccadic movements and hand movement planning [(eye-arm-jumping minus eye-jumping) minus (eye-arm-stationary minus eye-stationary)]. Behavioral data confirmed that the subjects were both accurate at reaching to the stationary targets and able to update their movement smoothly and early in response to the target jump. PET difference images showed that these corrections were mediated by a restricted network involving the left posterior parietal cortex, the right anterior intermediate cerebellum, and the left primary motor cortex. These results are consistent with our knowledge of the functional properties of these areas and more generally with models emphasizing parietal-cerebellar circuits for processing a dynamic motor error signal.

Adult↗

The functional anatomy of the lower face as it applies to rejuvenation via chemodenervation.

Botulinum toxin type A (Botox) injections have revolutionized nonsurgical rejuvenation of the upper face since their introduction in the early 1990s. Their use in the lower face has not become nearly as popular. The key to using Botox to improve the appearance of the lower face lies in understanding the functional anatomy of the lower face musculature. Although the facial plastic surgeon should be familiar with the muscles of the lower face and anatomic variations, the functional anatomy of the lower face varies widely from patient to patient and even more from one side of the face to the other. Understanding how the lower face moves is the key to using Botox to improve nasolabial folds, perioral rhytids, chin dimpling, marionette's lines, and downturned oral commissures. This is not an area for the novice injector, as a few stray units are not tolerated nearly so well as they are in the upper face.

Botulinum Toxins, Type A↗

The functional anatomy of the hindlimb of some African Viverridae (Carnivora).

The functional anatomy of the hindlimb of 12 species of viverrids was studied with relation to locomotion. The animals were allocated to primary locomotor categories on the basis of their anatomy and locomotion. The climbing, arboreal walking category (Nandinia binotata) is characterized by a small sacroiliac articulation, the iliopsoas inserts onto a medially located lesser trochanter and the femoral condyles are not posteriorly placed. The hindfoot is plantigrade and its structure permits considerable movement. The pads are soft and the claws retractile. Representatives of the arboreal and terrestrial walking and jumping category (Genetta genetta, G. servalina, G. tigrina) have a plantigrade forefoot and digitigrade hindfoot. The lesser trochanter is more posteriorly placed than in the climbing category. A previously undescribed muscle, the caudofemoralis profundus extends from several anterior caudal vertebrae to the femur. The tibio-astragular joint restricts supination of the foot. There is little mediolateral movement in the digitidgrade foot. The claws are retractile. In the general terrestrial walking and scrambling group (Helogale parvula, Mungos mungo, Atilax paludinosus, Bdeogale crassicauda, Herpestes ichneumon, H. sanguineus) the animals have essentially similar hindlimbs except for size differences and modifications to the feet. Helogale and Mungos have large medial epicondyles on the humerus and large terminal phalanges. Bdeogale has a vestigial first metatarsal, while Atilax can splay its digits. In all species the distal phalanges are non-retractile. The trotting category (Civettictis civetta, Ichneumia albicauda) is characterized by longer epipodials and metapodials and a more proximal position of muscle bellies. Most of the adaptations minimize rotation, adduction and abduction of the leg and supination of the foot. The metatarsals are closely adjoined and the distal phalanx is stout and non-retractile. There appear to be two levels of locomotory adaptation. Major adaptations affect the whole appendicular skeleton and are used to assign animals to primary locomotor categories. Minor adaptations occur mainly in the foot and indicate the more specific habits of the animal.

Africa↗

Prediction of recurrence after laparoscopic fundoplication for erosive reflux esophagitis based on anatomy-function-pathology (AFP) classification.

BACKGROUND: The usefulness of the anatomy-function-pathology (AFP) score was examined to evaluate its prediction of recurrence after laparoscopic fundoplication for erosive reflux esophagitis. METHODS: Of the patients undergoing laparoscopic fundoplication for erosive reflux esophagitis of Los Angeles classification grade A or higher from December 1994 to December 2004, 107 who underwent preoperative barium esophagogram, pH monitoring, and endoscopy were selected as subjects. The AFP score was calculated by A, F, and P factor grades of the AFP classification. By comparing patients with and without recurrence, the usefulness of the AFP score for predicting recurrence was examined. RESULTS: Reflux esophagitis recurred in seven patients. No significant difference in age, sex, or A or F factor was observed between the groups, whereas a significant difference was observed in the P factor (p = 0.008). On the other hand, the mean AFP score in the recurrence group was 16.9 +/- 5.3, whereas that in the nonrecurrence group was 8.9 +/- 5.3 (p = 0.0021). Among the patients with a score of 17 points or more (n = 23), recurrence was found in 6 patients (26%). On the other hand, among the patients with a score lower than 17 points (n = 84), recurrence was found in 1 patient, but not in the remaining 83 patients (1%). Sensitivity was thus 85.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 42.1-99.6), and specificity was 83% (95% CI, 74.2-89.8). The positive predictive value was 26.1% (95% CI, 10.2-48.4), and the negative predictive value was 98.8% (95% CI, 93.5-99.9). Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed, and receiver operating characteristics curves were obtained. The area under the curve for the AFP score was 0.8457, whereas that for the P factor was 0.7907 (p = 0.0045), suggesting that the AFP score may more accurately predict recurrence than the P factor. CONCLUSION: The AFP score may be useful for predicting postoperative recurrence. If surgery is performed when the AFP score is lower than 17 points, the likelihood of postoperative recurrence is expected to be very low.

Esophagitis, Peptic↗

The effects of practice on the functional anatomy of task performance.

The effects of practice on the functional anatomy observed in two different tasks, a verbal and a motor task, are reviewed in this paper. In the first, people practiced a verbal production task, generating an appropriate verb in response to a visually presented noun. Both practiced and unpracticed conditions utilized common regions such as visual and motor cortex. However, there was a set of regions that was affected by practice. Practice produced a shift in activity from left frontal, anterior cingulate, and right cerebellar hemisphere to activity in Sylvian-insular cortex. Similar changes were also observed in the second task, a task in a very different domain, namely the tracing of a maze. Some areas were significantly more activated during initial unskilled performance (right premotor and parietal cortex and left cerebellar hemisphere); a different region (medial frontal cortex, "supplementary motor area") showed greater activity during skilled performance conditions. Activations were also found in regions that most likely control movement execution irrespective of skill level (e.g., primary motor cortex was related to velocity of movement). One way of interpreting these results is in a "scaffolding-storage" framework. For unskilled, effortful performance, a scaffolding set of regions is used to cope with novel task demands. Following practice, a different set of regions is used, possibly representing storage of particular associations or capabilities that allow for skilled performance. The specific regions used for scaffolding and storage appear to be task dependent.

Brain↗

The functional anatomy of the ciliary muscle in four avian species.

The functional anatomy of avian ciliary muscles has been difficult to describe, due to the muscle's inaccessible location inside the eye. The ciliary muscle of the chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), the pigeon (Columbia livia), the kestrel (Falco sparverius) and the hooded merganser (Margus cucullatus) (four species with differing accommodative needs) was examined histologically in both the relaxed and contracted states. The ciliary muscle of all four species can be divided into three main muscle fibre groups based on insertion and origin: anterior, posterior and internal. The anterior muscle fibre group originates at the sclera under the scleral ossicles and inserts into the inner lamellae of the cornea. During accommodation these fibres pull the cornea posteriorly, changing the curvature of the cornea. The posterior muscle fibre group originates on the sclera and inserts posteriorly onto the baseplate of the ciliary body. The posterior fibre group acts on the baseplate of the ciliary body, pulling it forward to change the curvature of the lens during accommodation. The internal muscle fibre group extends from the baseplate of the ciliary body to the inner lamellae of the cornea and thus has a role in both corneal and lenticular accommodation. Species differences do exist, as seen in subgroups determined by the orientation of the fibres between the relaxed and contracted states and the percentage of fibres within the main muscle fibre groups. In general, the majority of ciliary muscle fibres in chickens, pigeons, and kestrels are in the anterior muscle fibre group, suggesting an emphasis on corneal accommodation; in the ciliary muscle of the hooded merganser, the majority of fibres are in the internal and posterior muscle fibre groups, indicating that lenticular accommodation is the predominant form of accommodation.

Animals↗

Functional anatomy of the epicardial coronary veins.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the functional anatomy of the epicardial veins, including their dimensional changes in systole and diastole, and to relate these observations to the pattern of bloodflow in these veins. DESIGN: Using quantitative angiography and casts of epicardial veins in dogs, measurements of dimensions and anatomical patterns were observed. INTERVENTIONS: Venous angiograms were performed on 21 mongrel dogs. The diameters of epicardial veins in systole and diastole were measured using ECG gating. The dynamic anatomy of epicardial veins observed from video tapes was compared with static images and casts. RESULTS: The transverse diameter of the epicardial veins was similar in systole and diastole. The accuracy of measurement was limited by definition of the edges of the veins. An area of reduced contrast was observed in the posterior lateral section of the great cardiac vein and the appearance of gaps in the column of contrast material within the epicardial veins was consistently seen. CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that flow in epicardial coronary veins occurs as a bolus during each cardiac cycle.

Animals↗

Towards a new functional anatomy of language.

The classical brain-language model derived from the work of Broca, Wernicke, Lichtheim, Geschwind, and others has been useful as a heuristic model that stimulates research and as a clinical model that guides diagnosis. However, it is now uncontroversial that the classical model is (i) empirically wrong in that it cannot account for the range of aphasic syndromes, (ii) linguistically underspecified to an extent that prohibits contact with the language sciences, and (iii) anatomically underspecified. We briefly summarize some of the central issues that motivate why a new functional anatomy of language is necessary, in the context of introducing a collection of articles that describe systematic new attempts at specifying the new functional anatomy. The major convergent observations are highlighted and the emergent conceptual and empirical trends are identified.

Brain↗

Muscle architecture and functional anatomy of the pelvic limb of the ostrich (Struthio camelus).

The functional anatomy of the pelvic limb of the ostrich (Struthio camelus) was investigated in order to assess musculoskeletal specialization related to locomotor performance. The pelvic limbs of ten ostriches were dissected and detailed measurements of all muscle tendon units of the pelvic limb were made, including muscle mass, muscle length, fascicle length, pennation angle, tendon mass and tendon length. From these measurements other muscle properties such as muscle volume, physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA), tendon cross-sectional area, maximum isometric muscle force and tendon stress were derived, using standard relationships and published muscle data. Larger muscles tended to be located more proximally and had longer fascicle lengths and lower pennation angles. This led to an expected proximal to distal reduction in total muscle mass. An exception to this trend was the gastrocnemius muscle, which was found to have the largest volume and PCSA and also had the highest capacity for both force and power production. Generally high-power muscles were located more proximally in the limb, while some small distal muscles (tibialis cranialis and flexor perforatus digiti III), with short fibres, were found to have very high force generation capacities. The greatest proportion of pelvic muscle volume was for the hip extensors, while the highest capacity for force generation was observed in the extensors of the ankle, many of which were also in series with long tendons and thus were functionally suited to elastic energy storage.

Animals↗

Functional Anatomy, Pathomechanics, and Pathophysiology of Lateral Ankle Instability.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the functional anatomy of the ankle complex as it relates to lateral ankle instability and to describe the pathomechanics and pathophysiology of acute lateral ankle sprains and chronic ankle instability. DATA SOURCES: I searched MEDLINE (1985-2001) and CINAHL (1982-2001) using the key words ankle sprain and ankle instability. DATA SYNTHESIS: Lateral ankle sprains are among the most common injuries incurred during sports participation. The ankle functions as a complex with contributions from the talocrural, subtalar, and inferior tibiofibular joints. Each of these joints must be considered in the pathomechanics and pathophysiology of lateral ankle sprains and chronic ankle instability. Lateral ankle sprains typically occur when the rearfoot undergoes excessive supination on an externally rotated lower leg. Recurrent ankle sprain is extremely common; in fact, the most common predisposition to suffering a sprain is the history of having suffered a previous ankle sprain. Chronic ankle instability may be due to mechanical instability, functional instability, or most likely, a combination of these 2 phenomena. Mechanical instability may be due to specific insufficiencies such as pathologic laxity, arthrokinematic changes, synovial irritation, or degenerative changes. Functional instability is caused by insufficiencies in proprioception and neuromuscular control. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS: Lateral ankle sprains are often inadequately treated, resulting in frequent recurrence of ankle sprains. Appreciation of the complex anatomy and mechanics of the ankle joint and the pathomechanics and pathophysiology related to acute and chronic ankle instability is integral to the process of effectively evaluating and treating ankle injuries.

Journal Article↗