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Review

The Cortico-Cortical and Subcortical Circuits of the Human Brain Language Centers Including the Dual Limbic and Language Functioning Fiber Tracts

by
Arash Kamali
1,*,
Nithya P. Narayana
2,
Anastasia Loiko
3,
Anusha Gandhi
1,
Paul E. Schulz
4,
Nitin Tandon
5,
Manish N. Shah
6,
Vinodh A. Kumar
7,
Larry A. Kramer
1,
Jay-Jiguang Zhu
5,
Haris Sair
8,
Roy F. Riascos
1 and
Khader M. Hasan
1
1
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
2
McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
3
Department of Neuroscience, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
4
Department of Neurology, University of Texas, Houston, TX 77030, USA
5
The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
6
Departments of Pediatric Surgery and Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
7
Department of Neuroradiology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas, Houston, TX 77030, USA
8
Russell H. Morgan Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Brain Sci. 2026, 16(2), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci16020142
Submission received: 8 December 2025 / Revised: 25 January 2026 / Accepted: 25 January 2026 / Published: 28 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Cognitive, Social and Affective Neuroscience)
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Abstract

Background/Objectives: In recent years, MRI-based diffusion-weighted tractography techniques have uncovered additional white matter pathways that have significant roles in language processing and production. In this review, we aim to outline the major language centers of the brain and major language pathways along with association tracts that serve dual roles in both the language and limbic systems. According to the current dual-stream model of language processing, the brain’s language network is organized into a dorsal stream, responsible for mapping sound to articulation, and a ventral stream, which maps sound to meaning. Materials and Methods: The literature cited in this manuscript was identified through targeted searches of the PubMed database. Priority was given to peer-reviewed human studies, including original neuroimaging, cadaveric validation, and intraoperative stimulation studies. Non-peer-reviewed sources and publications lacking clear anatomical or functional correlation to language pathways were excluded. Results: Advances in functional MRI and diffusion weighted imaging techniques have revealed a more interconnected network, expanding our understanding beyond the classical dual-stream model of language processing. The Kamali limbic model proposed distinct ventral and dorsal limbic networks. Notably, several fiber pathways within the ventral limbic network may subserve both language and limbic functions. The association tracts with dual limbic-language functions form a critical basis for understanding the pathophysiology of language disorders accompanied by cognitive and emotional comorbidities observed in dyslexia, speech apraxia, aphasia, autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Conclusions: Visualizing the language center and interconnected dual language and limbic fiber tracts highlights the importance of integrating language, executive function, and emotion in developing disease models and designing effective, targeted treatments for patients.
Keywords: aphasia; brain circuit; dorsal stream; dual stream; dorsal limbic network; expressive; language; limbic; receptive; superior longitudinal fasciculus; tractography; ventral stream; ventral limbic network aphasia; brain circuit; dorsal stream; dual stream; dorsal limbic network; expressive; language; limbic; receptive; superior longitudinal fasciculus; tractography; ventral stream; ventral limbic network

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Kamali, A.; Narayana, N.P.; Loiko, A.; Gandhi, A.; Schulz, P.E.; Tandon, N.; Shah, M.N.; Kumar, V.A.; Kramer, L.A.; Zhu, J.-J.; et al. The Cortico-Cortical and Subcortical Circuits of the Human Brain Language Centers Including the Dual Limbic and Language Functioning Fiber Tracts. Brain Sci. 2026, 16, 142. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci16020142

AMA Style

Kamali A, Narayana NP, Loiko A, Gandhi A, Schulz PE, Tandon N, Shah MN, Kumar VA, Kramer LA, Zhu J-J, et al. The Cortico-Cortical and Subcortical Circuits of the Human Brain Language Centers Including the Dual Limbic and Language Functioning Fiber Tracts. Brain Sciences. 2026; 16(2):142. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci16020142

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kamali, Arash, Nithya P. Narayana, Anastasia Loiko, Anusha Gandhi, Paul E. Schulz, Nitin Tandon, Manish N. Shah, Vinodh A. Kumar, Larry A. Kramer, Jay-Jiguang Zhu, and et al. 2026. "The Cortico-Cortical and Subcortical Circuits of the Human Brain Language Centers Including the Dual Limbic and Language Functioning Fiber Tracts" Brain Sciences 16, no. 2: 142. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci16020142

APA Style

Kamali, A., Narayana, N. P., Loiko, A., Gandhi, A., Schulz, P. E., Tandon, N., Shah, M. N., Kumar, V. A., Kramer, L. A., Zhu, J.-J., Sair, H., Riascos, R. F., & Hasan, K. M. (2026). The Cortico-Cortical and Subcortical Circuits of the Human Brain Language Centers Including the Dual Limbic and Language Functioning Fiber Tracts. Brain Sciences, 16(2), 142. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci16020142

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