# THE ROLE OF PARACINGULATE SULCAL MORPHOLOGY IN AFFECTIVE NETWORK CONNECTIVITY

> **NIH NIH F31** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $48,974

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The cingulum bundle (CB) is a major white matter fiber system mediating connectivity of the affective network.
As mood monitoring and regulation are controlled by the affective network, the CB is often investigated in
relation to the pathophysiology and treatment interventions for mood disorders. Several efforts have attempted
to characterize the CB relative to mood disorders, however, previous approaches have overlooked
consideration of interindividual variability in local anatomy. The most common anatomical variation in the
cingulate region is the presence or absence of paracingulate sulcus (PCS) morphological pattern. Despite 70%
of the population exhibiting a distinct PCS in at least one cerebral hemisphere, and its presence inducing
known reorganization and connectivity changes in cingulate gray matter, its influence on white matter remains
unknown. Interindividual variability in paracingulate sulcus (PCS) morphology may alter local white matter
organization, specifically the cingulum bundle (CB) fiber system. Given the importance of the CB in mediating
affective network connectivity implicated in mood disorders and treatment efforts, characterization of structural
and functional implications of PCS variability is necessary. The goal of this project is to identify CB connectivity
alterations across PCS morphology and characterize ill-defined PCS-related white matter with respect to the
cingulum fiber system. I hypothesize that PCS morphology will influence CB connectivity with affective
network regions and that the PCS-related white matter, termed paracingulate white matter (pcWM), will
demonstrate affective network connectivity. I will evaluate these central hypotheses in the following two
Specific Aims. Aim 1. To use high-resolution diffusion-based probabilistic tractography to determine the impact
of PCS morphology on CB structural connectivity and characterize pcWM. Aim 2. To employ human
intracranial single pulse stimulation directed to the CB to determine the effect of PCS morphology on
electrographically-defined effective connectivity of the CB. Completion of these Aims will provide novel insight
into the relationship between white matter organization and sulcation pattern. Further, elucidating the influence
of PCS pattern on connectivity perturbation of the CB is necessary for informing and optimizing treatment
intervention for mood disorders like depression. More than 30% of patients with Major Depressive Disorder
(MDD) suffer from suboptimal responses and are diagnosed with Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD). With
a continued lack of response to other methods, patients may undergo an invasive surgical approach called
deep brain stimulation (DBS) for depression treatment. DBS for TRD traditionally targets a confluence of white
matter paths, and despite inconsistent response, CB engagement is the primary predictor of optimal patient
response. Parsing the correspondence of PCS pattern and the connectivity of the CB m...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11071317
- **Project number:** 1F31MH136762-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Isabel Anastasia Danstrom
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $48,974
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-05 → 2026-12-25

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11071317

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11071317, THE ROLE OF PARACINGULATE SULCAL MORPHOLOGY IN AFFECTIVE NETWORK CONNECTIVITY (1F31MH136762-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11071317. Licensed CC0.

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