Diffusion tensor tractography of the human brain cortico‐ponto‐cerebellar pathways: A quantitative preliminary study

Abstract

To investigate the utility of diffusion tensor tractography at 1mm slice thickness to map and quantify the whole trajectory of different cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathways of the healthy adult human brain. This work was approved by the local Institutional Review Board, and was Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant. Five healthy right-handed men (age range, 24-37 years) were studied and written informed consent was obtained. Diffusion tensor imaging data acquired with 1-mm slice thickness at a 3.0 Tesla (T) clinical MRI scanner were prepared and analyzed using tractography methods to reconstruct the cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathways which included the fronto-ponto-cerebellar, parieto-ponto-cerebellar, occipito-ponto-cerebellar, and temporo-ponto-cerebellar tracts. We demonstrate the feasibility of tractographic mapping and quantification of the four cortico-ponto-cerebellar system components based on their cortical connections in the healthy human brain using DTI data with thin 1-mm sections. In vivo quantification of different cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathways based on cortical connection is feasible, using 1-mm slices at 3.0T.