Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Morphological variability of the subcallosal area of man

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Knowledge of morphology of human anterior cingulate and medial frontal cortex related to the knee of corpus callosum is important in the diagnostics and neurosurgical treatment. Neuroimaging studies did not provide a clear picture of this region, what is also caused by terminological inconsistencies. It is not always clear what is actually defined under the terms subcallosal area, subcallosal cingulate gyrus, subcallosal gyrus, subcallosal region, or subgenual prefrontal gyrus. Our study of subcallosal area provides morphological data useful for recent imaging studies.

Methods

Digital photographs (42 formaline fixed brains: 26 males, 16 females) were used in morphometry (surfaces and lengths) of subcallosal area. We defined all its boundaries: superoanterior, anterior, posterior, and inferior one. If anterior subcallosal sulcus, as anterior delineation of subcallosal area was absent, we used intercommissural line system.

Results

Anterior subcallosal sulcus we found in 86.9% of cases. Its variations were classified into four types: Type 1—vertical or slightly oblique sulcus (most often type on right hemispheres—30.1%), Type 2—in form of letter C or inverted letter C (most often type on left hemispheres—42.9%), Type 3—sulcus in form of letter S or inverted letter S, and Type 4—sulcus not belonging to any previous type. Mean surface of subcallosal area was in males 2.65 cm2 (right hemispheres), and on left 2.70 cm2. In females on right it was 2.56 cm2, and on left 2.55 cm2. All measured values were not significantly different (left/right; males/females).

Conclusions

Accurate neuroanatomical localization requires exact determination of boundaries of subcallosal area. Therefore, standardized criteria were proposed for definition of subcallosal area.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Baare WFC, Hilleke E, Hulshoff P, Boomsma DI, Posthuma D, de Geus EJC, Schnack GH et al (2001) Quantitative genetic modeling of variation in human brain morphology. Cereb Cortex 11(9):816–824

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Coryell W, Nopoulos P, Drevets W, Wilson T, Andreasen NC (2005) Subgenual prefrontal cortex volumes in major depressive disorder and schizophrenia: diagnostic specificity and prognostic implications. Am J Psychiatry 162:1706–1712

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Crosby EC, Humphrey T, Lauer EW (1962) Correlative anatomy of the nervous system. Macmillan, New York, p 348

    Google Scholar 

  4. Duvernoy HM (1991) The human brain. Springer, Wien, p 19

    Google Scholar 

  5. Filimonoff IN (1949) Drevnaya, staraya i mežutočnaya kora. In: Filomonoff IN, Sarkisov SA, Preobrazhenskaya NS (eds) Citoarhitektonika kori boljšogo mozga čeloveka. Medgiz, Moskva, p 404

    Google Scholar 

  6. Federative Committee on Anatomical Terminology (1998) Terminologia Anatomica. Thieme, Stuttgart, p 126

    Google Scholar 

  7. Gittins R, Harrison PJ (2004) A quantitative morphometric study of the human anterior cingulate cortex. Brain Res 1013(2):212–222

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hamani C, Mayberg H, Snyder B, Giacobbe P, Kennedy S, Lozano A (2009) Deep brain stimulation of the subcallosal cingulate gyrus for depression: anatomical location of active contacts in clinical responders and suggested guideline for targeting. J Neurosurg 111:1209–1215

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Kappers ACU, Huber GC, Crosby EC (1960) The comparative anatomy of the nervous system of vertebrates including man, vol 3. Hafner, New York, p 1592

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kilts DC, Schweitzer JB, Quinn CK, Gross RE, Faber TL, Muhammad F, Ely DT, Hoffman JM, Drexler KP G (2001) Neural activity related to drug craving in cocaine addiction. Arch Gen Psychiatry 58:334–341

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Kopsch F (1943) Rauber Kopsch Anatomie des Menschen, band III. Georg Thieme, Leipzig, p 87

    Google Scholar 

  12. Kuhlenbeck H (1974) Central nervous system of vertebrates, vol 5/II. Karger, Basel, pp 58–60

    Google Scholar 

  13. Laitinen LV (1972) Stereotactic lesions in the knee of the corpus callosum in the treatment of emotional disorders. Lancet 1(7748):472–475

    Google Scholar 

  14. Mc Cormick LM, Ziebell S, Nopoulos P, Cassell M, Andreasen NC, Brumm M (2006) Anterior cingulate cortex: an MRI-based parcellation method. NeuroImage 32:1167–1175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Mühlau M, Rauschecker JP, Oestreicher E, Gaser C, Röttinger M, Wohlschläger AM, Simon F, Etgen T, Conrad B, Sander D (2006) Structural brain changes in tinnitus. Cereb Cortex 16(9):1283–1288

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Ono M, Kubik S, Abernathey DC (1990) Atlas of cerebral sulci. Georg Thieme, Stuttgart, pp 33–121

    Google Scholar 

  17. Paus T, Tomaiuolo F, Otaky N, MacDonald D, Petrides M, Atlas J, Morris R, Evans A (1996) Human cingulate and paracingulate sulci: pattern, variability, asymmetry and probabilistic map. Cereb Cortex 6:207–214

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Stanczyk JL (1982) Macroscopic morphology of the subcallosal area in the man and in comparative anatomy studies. Folia Morphol (Warsz.) XLI(4):429–439

    Google Scholar 

  19. Spasojević G, Malobabić S, Šuščević D, Miljković Ž (2004) Morfometrijska varijabilnost prekuneusa u odnosu na pol i hemisferu mozga čoveka. Vojnosanit Pregl 61(4):365–370

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Spasojević G, Stojanović Z, Šuščević D, Malobabić S (2006) Sexual dimorphism of the human corpus calosum—digital morphometric study. Vojnosanit Pregl 63(11):933–938

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Standring S (2005) In: Standring S (ed) Gray’s anatomy, 39th edn. Elsevier, Edinburgh, p 388

  22. Talairach J, David M, Tournoux P, Corredor H, Kvasina T (1957) Atlas d’ anatomie stéréotaxique des noyaux gris centreux. Masson, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  23. Talairach J, Tournoux P (1988) Co-planar stereotaxic atlas of the human brain. Thieme, New York, p 5

    Google Scholar 

  24. Yucel K, McKinnon M, Chahal R, Taylor V, Macdonald K, Joffe R, MacQueen G (2009) Increased subgenual prefrontal cortex size in remitted patients with major depressive disorder. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 173:71–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. World Medical Association Declaration Of Helsinki: Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects, 59th WMA General Assembly, Seoul, October 2008 Available at: http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/index.html. Accessed 19 Jan 2010

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grant Nr. 156031 of Ministry of Science and Technology of Republic Serbia.

Conflict of interest

Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Banja Luka, Save Mrkalja 14, 78000, Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Goran D. Spasojević, Dušan Šuščević & Igor Gojković

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy “Dr Niko Miljanić”, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

    Slobodan Malobabić, Lazar Stijak & Valentina Nikolić

  3. Clinic of Orthopedic Surgery, Clinical Center Banja Luka, Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Goran D. Spasojević, Dušan Šuščević & Igor Gojković

Authors
  1. Goran D. Spasojević
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Slobodan Malobabić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Dušan Šuščević
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lazar Stijak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Valentina Nikolić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Igor Gojković
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Goran D. Spasojević.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Spasojević, G.D., Malobabić, S., Šuščević, D. et al. Morphological variability of the subcallosal area of man. Surg Radiol Anat 33, 313–318 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-010-0689-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-010-0689-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation