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Abstract #0052

Connectivity based segmentation of the periaqueductal grey matter in humans with diffusion tensor imaging

Martyn Ezra 1 , Olivia Kate Faull 1 , Saad Jbabdi 2 , and Kyle Thomas Shane Pattinson 1

1 Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, 2 Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

The periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) is involved in a number of key neurobiological functions. Animal research has identified four sub-divisional columns that differ in both connectivity and function. This study used high-resolution diffusion tensor imaging and probabilistic tractography to segment the human PAG based upon voxel connectivity profiles. While we identified four distinct subdivisions demonstrating spatial concordance with the columns of the animal model, the connectivity profiles of these subdivisions were different to those in animals. This is the first study to resolve subdivisions within the human PAG, and may aid stereotactic interventions and interpretation of functional imaging studies.

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