Probabilistic Atlas of the Connections Between the Basal Ganglia and the Cortex

Linda Marrakchi-Kacem^1,2, Fabrice Poupon^1,2, Pauline Roca^1,2, Alan Tucholka^1,3, Christine Delmaire⁴, Eric Bardinet^4,5, Michael Sharman^4,5, Romain Valabregue^4,5, Arnaud Messe, ^2,6, Caroline Malherbe, ^2,6, Habib Benali, ^2,6, Alexandra Durr^7,8, Jean-Franois Mangin^1,2, Stephane Lehericy^4,5, Cyril Poupon^1,2

The basal ganglia are topographically connected to cortical areas. These connections define motor, associative and limbic territories. These basal ganglia are therefore involved in motor as well as cognitive and behavioral functions. Dysfunction of basal ganglia territories leads to various neurological diseases that are specifically associated with each territory. In this abstract, we present the design of a surface probabilistic atlas of the connections between the basal ganglia and the interface between the white matter (WM) and the cortex. Such an atlas can be built on a population of healthy subjects as well as on a population of specific patients. Statistical tools can then be used to detect the regions with significant differences on the cortex that may correspond to underlying abnormalities of the striato-pallido-cortical connections. Such differences could yield new biomarkers of neurological pathologies.