Neural Circuits and Systems Neuroscience
Author: Pablo Sebastian Paolinelli | Email: pablo.paolinelli@gmail.com
Pablo Sebastian Paolinelli1°, Facundo Villamil1°, Camila Migliardo1°, Valeria Trofa1°, Paloma Suarez1°, Catalina Dolcimelli1°, Gonzalo Bonilla1°
1° Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, third department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires,
Introduction: Language is a complex process, several hypotheses have been proposed regarding the functioning of the speech circuit, with the most well-known being the one described by Pierre Broca and Carl Wernicke, who identified two areas: Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, connected by the arcuate fasciculus. Over time, these hypotheses have proven to be overly simplistic given the complexity of the subject. Therefore, several subsequent studies, including neuroimaging techniques, have contributed to this field.
Our objective is to conduct a comprehensive review of the anatomy of language using contemporary theories and establish a correlation between data obtained and findings derived from cadaveric dissections.
Materials and Methods: Five fixed brains were used and dissected according to Klinger’s technique. Wooden spatulas of various diameters were employed for the dissection, starting with larger ones at the surface and smaller ones in deeper regions.
Results: Our exhaustive search revealed new language-related theories, identifying the fasciculi involved in language. These were successfully dissected in cadaveric specimens and include the superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculus, the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, the uncinate fasciculus, and the oblique frontal fasciculus.
Conclusion: Our study, through the dissection of cadaveric brains following Klinger’s technique, has contributed to correlating anatomical findings with current theories on language.