Contribution of Diffusion Tractography to the Anatomy of Language

In the last decade, tractography methods based on diffusion imaging have been used to re-explore the anatomical basis of language and its disorders. This chapter is devoted to the harmonization of the findings from post-mortem dissection with more recent evidence emerging from diffusion tractography. We first focus on the anatomy and development of the arcuate fasciculus, its heterogeneity in the normal population, and possible functional and behavioral correlates of different patterns of lateralization. Other tracts relevant to language but located outside classical perisylvian regions will be also discussed. One outcome of this review will be to underlie the merits of the hodological (pathway-based) approach to neurology and psychiatry and its modern pursuit with diffusion tractography.