Abstracts

Rationale: The Yale Brain Atlas (YBA) is a medium that presents precise cortical localization in the brain, with 690 one-cm square parcels based on the MNI152 template. The objective is to optimize the YBA for usage in functional localization for educational and medical environments. Visualizing specific functions in the atlas space organizes multimodal information into a resource that can be communicated in great detail. Localizations of distinct language functions from studies in the literature have previously been transformed to the atlas space, and by doing the same with other key functions associated with the temporal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus, it becomes possible to discern how they precisely overlap with each other and in particular with language. This further augments the multimodal functionality of the YBA while simultaneously providing deeper insights into how these functions relate to one another in the brain.


Methods:

A systematic search for fMRI studies, direct electrode stimulation studies, PET studies, and review papers concerning distinctive brain functions characteristic of the temporal region was conducted with the online PubMed database, revealing 40 distinct functions tested in the temporal neocortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. Twenty papers were selected as presenting an “expert review” of one or more functions associated with the temporal cortex, on the basis of either clear visualizations of the studied functions or key contextual information. Eight papers were similarly chosen for the hippocampus and six for the amygdala. The localizations from these papers were then manually mapped to their corresponding parcels in the YBA, as to allow for anatomical comparisons with each other and previous language mapping data.


Results:

YBA parcels from the temporal lobe, hippocampus, and amygdala could be identified for the 40 functions discussed and visualized across the chosen papers. To foster active engagement with the YBA, interacting with each parcel displays a short narrative to explain the significance of a given function, a series of terms selected from the YBA’s Neurosynth database to further describe the function, and the appropriate citation. The 40 functions were then grouped into the following categories: theory of mind, semantic networks, facial processing, biological motion, audition, perception/visuospatial, and conversational behaviors. Interactive anatomical visualization maps, created for each category, can then be studied in relation to each other, individual functions, and the library of language data already transformed into the YBA. These dynamic maps are intended to highlight relationships between these functions.


Conclusions:
Functional localizations from the human temporal lobe were mapped to the YBA, allowing for the creation of interactive maps for the individual functions and the seven categories, to be uploaded for access on the YBA website. The visualizations from these maps allow for dynamic comparison of specific temporal lobe functions and in particular, how they relate to our understanding of language mapping.




Funding: The Swebilius Foundation