White matter microstructure throughout the brain correlates with visual imagery in grapheme-color synesthesia.
White matter microstructure throughout the brain correlates with visual imagery in grapheme-color synesthesia.
复制标题
整个大脑的白质微观结构与字素颜色联觉中的视觉图像相关。
DOI：
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.12.054
复制
发表时间：
2014
期刊：
影响因子：
5.7
通讯作者：
Alvarez,BryanD
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Whitaker,KirstieJ;Kang,Xiaojian;Herron,TimothyJ;Woods,DavidL;Robertson,LynnC;Alvarez,BryanD
在这项研究中，我们第一次展示了联觉大脑的神经解剖学和衡量行为的指标之间的相关性，该指标并不是联觉经验所独有的。与仔细匹配的非联觉对照组相比，字素-颜色联觉者(n=20)体验到由观看或思考特定字母或数字触发的颜色，与仔细匹配的非联觉对照组相比，使用扩散张量成像测量的白质微结构发生了变化。与非联觉对照相比，联觉受试者具有较低的分数各向异性和较高的垂直扩散系数。对各向异性模式的分析表明，这些差异可能是由于联结者大脑中存在更多的交叉通路。此外，白质微结构的这些差异与视觉图像的生动程度呈负相关，而且只有联会者如此。报告视觉图像最生动的联结者具有最低的各向异性分数和最高的垂直扩散率。我们的结论是，通联者作为一个群体沿着一个连续体而变化，同时与非通联者相比，在神经解剖学和行为方面表现出类别上的差异。
In this study we show, for the first time, a correlation between the neuroanatomy of the synesthetic brain and a metric that measures behavior not exclusive to the synesthetic experience. Grapheme–color synesthetes (n= 20), who experience colors triggered by viewing or thinking of specific letters or numbers, showed altered white matter microstructure, as measured using diffusion tensor imaging, compared with carefully matched non-synesthetic controls. Synesthetes had lower fractional anisotropy and higher perpendicular diffusivity when compared to non-synesthetic controls. An analysis of the mode of anisotropy suggested that these differences were likely due to the presence of more crossing pathways in the brains of synesthetes. Additionally, these differences in white matter microstructure correlated negatively, and only for synesthetes, with a measure of the vividness of their visual imagery. Synesthetes who reported the most vivid visual imagery had the lowest fractional anisotropy and highest perpendicular diffusivity. We conclude that synesthetes as a population vary along a continuum while showing categorical differences in neuroanatomy and behavior compared to non-synesthetes.