Title: The visual cortex and fusiform facial recognition connections revealed: non-invasive mapping with diffusion tensor imaging tractography on prosopagnosia in Alzheimer’s patients

Biography:

Christina Vadiyala is a medical student in an Eminent University in the Caribbean region Guyana, the Texila American University. She is an outstanding Junior Young Researcher in “Team NeurON” group from the same University.  Her   research area   of   interest   is   Neuroscience   and   Imaging tractography.  She is leading a research sub-group within the Team NeurON.  She  also  involved  in  more  than  15  research  activities  in Team  NeurON,  and  also  she  has  been  serving  as  Secretary  and Coordinator  for  the  same  Team  NeurON  group  in  Texila  America University.

Abstract

Prosopagnosia is a common sign in Alzheimer disease (AD), especially characterized by the loss of familiar face recognition in the earlier stage.   Brain regions dedicated to human face processing include Amygdala,   Fusiform   Face   Area   (FFA), Occipital Face Area (OFA), a region of ventro-medial temporal cortex and superior temporal sulcus.  Early visual analysis of facial features occurs in the visual cortex and Superior Temporal Sulcus (STS).  Invariant aspects like similar Face recognition is processed in the lateralusiform gyrus, which is interconnected with temporal lobe, where specific information about name and biographical data are  retrieved.  The  Diffusion  tensor  images (DTI) datasets  were obtained  from 25 control and 25 Alzheimer patients  of  both  the  sexes,  with  age  group  from 50  to  75  years. Study aimed to identify the neural structural connectivity analysis in failure of familiar face recognition in Alzheimer’s Patients. Also, correlates its functional importance, using “Non-Invasive Diffusion Imaging fiber Tractography”.

Results: Analysis of tracts from visual cortex to inferior temporal lobe showed decrease in number and increase in the length of the tracts  in  Alzheimer’s  patients  when  compared  to  normal  (DTI). Tracts reaching fusiform are greatly varied.  Variation  in  the number  and  volume  of  connectivity  fibers  between  the  visual cortex   with   fusiform   gyrus   are   primarily   identified   in   right hemisphere than left hemisphere.

Conclusion:   As   the   tracts   reaching   the   fusiform   gyrus   are deteriorated, it interprets in the atrophy of fusiform gyrus which leads to the absence of Familiar Face Recognition in AD patients.