The inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus: bridging phylogeny, ontogeny and functional anatomy.

ABSTRACT: The inferior-fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) is a long-range white matter tract that connects the prefrontal cortex with parietal, posterior temporal and occipital cortices. First identified in the 19th century through the pioneering studies of Mayo and Meynert using blunt dissection, its anatomy and function remain contentious topics. Structurally, its projections are well documented in human blunt dissection and tractography literature, yet its existence has been questioned by tract-tracing studies in macaques. Functionally, while traditional results from direct white matter stimulation during awake surgery suggested a contribution to language, recent evidence from stimulation and lesion data may indicate a broader role in executive control, extending to attention, motor cognition, me

SUBMITTER: Giampiccolo D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12074009 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature