Localization of Function-Specific Segments of the Primary Motor Pathway in Children with Sturge-Weber Syndrome: A Multimodal Imaging Analysis

Jeong-Won Jeong¹, Harry T. Chugani², Csaba Juhasz¹

Sturge-Weber syndrome is a rare disorder with a variety of nervous system problems, including motor deficit, visual field impairment, cognitive decline and seizures. The degree of motor cortex and corticospinal tract involvement is difficult to determine in children who are unable to cooperate with functional MRI. To investigate whether diffusion weighted imaging tractography can provide a functional localization of primary motor areas in-vivo, we developed a new method based on tract connectivity between precentral gyrus and posterior limb of internal capsule. This can provide localization of functionally specific segments of the primary motor area only by using the tractography information.