Multimodal architectonic mapping of human superior temporal gyrus

Although it is generally accepted that human superior temporal gyrus is activated by a huge variety of auditory and linguistic tasks, little is known about the exact positions and extents of cortical areas that are located on the lateral convexity of the gyrus (e.g., Brodmann’s area 22). Such information, however, is relevant for a rigorous testing of structural-functional relationships in both normal volunteers and patients suffering from disorders of auditory and language perception. The present combined cytoarchitectonic and receptorarchitectonic study identifies a distinct area (Te3) in the lateral bulge of the superior temporal gyrus by using an algorithm-based approach for the detection of cortical borders. Our mapping data show that, in contrast to Brodmann’s area (BA) 22, only small portions of Te3 reach the dorsal and ventral banks of the gyrus. Therefore, we labelled the newly defined area as “Te3” and not as “BA 22”. The cytoarchitectonically defined borders of Te3 coincide with abrupt changes in the receptorarchitecture of several classical neurotransmitters, suggesting that Te3 represents a functionally relevant area of the human superior temporal gyrus. Since position and extent of area Te3 varied considerably between subjects, probability maps were created that show for each voxel of the standard references space, the frequency with which Te3 was present in it. These maps, in combination with previously published maps of the primary auditory cortex, can directly be compared with functional imaging data, and may open new perspectives for the analysis of structural-functional correlations in the human auditory and language systems.