Faculty Collaboration Database

Cingulate cortex: a closer look at its gut-related functional topography. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2005 Oct;289(4):G722-30

Date

09/15/2005

Pubmed ID

16160081

DOI

10.1152/ajpgi.00016.2005

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-25444517706 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   13 Citations

Abstract

Earlier studies have documented activation of the cingulate cortex during gut related sensory-motor function. However, topography of the cingulate cortex in relationship to various levels of visceromotor sensory stimuli and gender is not completely elucidated. The aim was to characterize and compare the activation topography of the cingulate cortex in response to 1) subliminal, 2) perceived rectal distensions, and 3) external anal sphincter contraction (EASC) in males and females. We studied 18 healthy volunteers (ages 18-35 yr; 10 women, 8 men) using functional MRI blood-oxygenation-level-dependent technique. We obtained 11 axial slices (voxel vol. 2.5-6.0 x 2.5 x 2.5 mm(3)) through the cingulate cortex during barostat-controlled subliminal, liminal, and supraliminal nonpainful rectal distensions as well as EASC. Overall, for viscerosensation, the anterior cingulate cortex exhibited significantly more numbers of activated cortical voxels for all levels of stimulations compared with the posterior cingulate cortex (P < 0.05). In contrast, during EASC, activity in the posterior cingulate was larger than in the anterior cingulate cortex (P < 0.05). Cingulate activation was similar during EASC in males and females (P = 0.58), whereas there was a gender difference in anterior cingulate activation during liminal and supraliminal stimulations (P < 0.05). In females, viscerosensory cortical activity response was stimulus-intensity dependent. Intestinal viscerosensation and EASC induce different patterns of cingulate cortical activation. There may be gender differences in cingulate cortical activation during viscerosensation. In contrast to male subjects, females exhibit increased activity in response to liminal nonpainful stimulation compared with subliminal stimulation suggesting differences in cognition-related recruitment.

Author List

Lawal A, Kern M, Sanjeevi A, Hofmann C, Shaker R

Author

Reza Shaker MD Assoc Provost, Sr Assoc Dean, Ctr Dir, Chief, Prof in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Adult
Cerebral Cortex
Data Interpretation, Statistical
Digestive System
Echo-Planar Imaging
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Muscle Contraction
Neural Pathways
Rectum
Sex Characteristics