Brain Fiber Tracking Research Articles

Disconnectome associated with progressive white matter hyperintensities in aging: a virtual lesion study.

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are commonly seen on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in older adults and are associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. This study aims to estimate changes in the structural connectome due to age-related WMH by using a virtual lesion approach. High-quality diffusion-weighted imaging data of 30 healthy subjects were obtained from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) database. Diffusion tractography using q-space diffeomorphic reconstruction (QSDR) and whole brain fiber tracking with 107 seed points was conducted using diffusion spectrum imaging studio and the brainnetome atlas was used to parcellate a total of 246 cortical and subcortical nodes. Previously published WMH frequency maps across age ranges (50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's) were used to generate virtual lesion masks for each decade at three lesion frequency thresholds, and these virtual lesion masks were applied as regions of avoidance (ROA) in fiber tracking to estimate connectivity changes. Connections showing significant differences in fiber density with and without ROA were identified using paired tests with False Discovery Rate (FDR) correction. Disconnections appeared first from the striatum to middle frontal gyrus (MFG) in the 50's, then from the thalamus to MFG in the 60's and extending to the superior frontal gyrus in the 70's, and ultimately including much more widespread cortical and hippocampal nodes in the 80's. Changes in the structural disconnectome due to age-related WMH can be estimated using the virtual lesion approach. The observed disconnections may contribute to the cognitive and sensorimotor deficits seen in aging.

Robustness of the wide-field imaging Mueller polarimetry for brain tissue differentiation and white matter fiber tract identification in a surgery-like environment: an ex vivo study.

During neurooncological surgery, the visual differentiation of healthy and diseased tissue is often challenging. Wide-field imaging Muller polarimetry (IMP) is a promising technique for tissue discrimination and in-plane brain fiber tracking in an interventional setup. However, the intraoperative implementation of IMP requires realizing imaging in the presence of remanent blood, and complex surface topography resulting from the use of an ultrasonic cavitation device. We report on the impact of both factors on the quality of polarimetric images of the surgical resection cavities reproduced in fresh animal cadaveric brains. The robustness of IMP is observed under adverse experimental conditions, suggesting a feasible translation of IMP for in vivo neurosurgical applications.

Toward a standardized structural–functional group connectome in MNI space

The analysis of the structural architecture of the human brain in terms of connectivity between its subregions has provided profound insights into its underlying functional organization and has coined the concept of the “connectome”, a structural description of the elements forming the human brain and the connections among them.Here, as a proof of concept, we introduce a novel group connectome in standard space based on a large sample of 169 subjects from the Enhanced Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland Sample (eNKI-RS). Whole brain structural connectomes of each subject were estimated with a global tracking approach, and the resulting fiber tracts were warped into standard stereotactic (MNI) space using DARTEL. Employing this group connectome, the results of published tracking studies (i.e., the JHU white matter and Oxford thalamic connectivity atlas) could be largely reproduced directly within MNI space. In a second analysis, a study that examined structural connectivity between regions of a functional network, namely the default mode network, was reproduced. Voxel-wise structural centrality was then calculated and compared to others' findings. Furthermore, including additional resting-state fMRI data from the same subjects, structural and functional connectivity matrices between approximately forty thousand nodes of the brain were calculated. This was done to estimate structure–function agreement indices of voxel-wise whole brain connectivity.Taken together, the combination of a novel whole brain fiber tracking approach and an advanced normalization method led to a group connectome that allowed (at least heuristically) performing fiber tracking directly within MNI space. Such an approach may be used for various purposes like the analysis of structural connectivity and modeling experiments that aim at studying the structure–function relationship of the human connectome. Moreover, it may even represent a first step toward a standard DTI template of the human brain in stereotactic space. The standardized group connectome might thus be a promising new resource to better understand and further analyze the anatomical architecture of the human brain on a population level.

Software-based Diffusion MR Human Brain Phantom for Evaluating Fiber-tracking Algorithms.

Fiber tracking provides insights into the brain white matter network and has become more and more popular in diffusion MR imaging. Hardware or software phantom provides an essential platform to investigate, validate and compare various tractography algorithms towards a "gold standard". Software phantoms excel due to their flexibility in varying imaging parameters, such as tissue composition, SNR, as well as potential to model various anatomies and pathologies. This paper describes a novel method in generating diffusion MR images with various imaging parameters from realistically appearing, individually varying brain anatomy based on predefined fiber tracts within a high-resolution human brain atlas. Specifically, joint, high resolution DWI and structural MRI brain atlases were constructed with images acquired from 6 healthy subjects (age 22-26) for the DWI data and 56 healthy subject (age 18-59) for the structural MRI data. Full brain fiber tracking was performed with filtered, two-tensor tractography in atlas space. A deformation field based principal component model from the structural MRI as well as unbiased atlas building was then employed to generate synthetic structural brain MR images that are individually varying. Atlas fiber tracts were accordingly warped into each synthetic brain anatomy. Diffusion MR images were finally computed from these warped tracts via a composite hindered and restricted model of diffusion with various imaging parameters for gradient directions, image resolution and SNR. Furthermore, an open-source program was developed to evaluate the fiber tracking results both qualitatively and quantitatively based on various similarity measures.

Parallel Computation in Medical Imaging Applications

Parallel Computation in Medical Imaging Applications

Diffusion tensor imaging and three-dimensional brain fiber tracking for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

目的 探讨多发性硬化(MS)患者的MS斑块、斑块旁脑白质和T2WI上表现为正常的脑白质区(NAWM)的扩散张量成像(DTI)特点,并探讨DTI和三维脑白质束示踪技术对MS的应用价值.方法 对32例MS患者和32名与MS患者年龄性别配对的正常人进行头部DTI检查,生成表观扩散系数图(ADC)和部分各向异性图(FA),分别选取MS斑块、斑块旁脑白质区、NAWM区和对照组正常人相应脑白质区测量ADC值和FA值,并使用示踪技术做出三维脑白质束图像.结果 MS斑块、斑块旁脑白质区、NAWM区和对照组的ADC平均值分别为(1.233±0.119)、(0.973±0.098)、(0.748±0.089)×10-3 mm2/s和(0.620±0.094)×10-3 mm2/s,FA平均值分别为0.225±0.052、0.311±0.050、0.421±0.070和0.476±0.069.对MS斑块、斑块旁脑白质、NAWM数据进行随机区组方差分析最小显著差法检验,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.01).MS斑块、斑块旁脑白质、NAWM分别和对照组配对t检验,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.01).用三维脑白质束图像可以观察到MS斑块.结论 使用DTI检查生成的ADC图和FA图可以有助于评价MS中各部位脑白质的改变.通过三维脑白质束示踪图像可以立体直观地显示MS斑块区白质束的异常。

P31.16 The utility of diffusion tensor brain fiber tracking to evaluate diffuse axonal injury: Imaging potentially correlates with cognitive disorder

P31.16 The utility of diffusion tensor brain fiber tracking to evaluate diffuse axonal injury: Imaging potentially correlates with cognitive disorder

Optimization of diffusion-tensor MR imaging data acquisition parameters for brain fiber tracking using parallel imaging at 3 T.

The purpose of this study was to optimize the parameters of diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT MRI) for brain fiber tracking using a slice thickness of 2 mm, a resolution advantage allowed by the high signal-to-noise ratio at 3 T, combined with an 8-channel phased-array head coil. The b-factor, number of motion probing gradient (MPG) directions, and number of averages were varied, and the results of brain fiber tracking for the pyramidal tract and trigeminal nerve were compared qualitatively and quantitatively. The DT MRI data sufficient for brain fiber tracking in healthy subjects can be obtained in <2 min with a 2-mm slice thickness, 700-s/mm2 b-factor, 6 MPG directions, and no averaging (number of averages=1).

Brain fiber tracking with clinically feasible diffusion-tensor MR imaging: initial experience.

Two technical challenges must be overcome before brain fiber tracking with diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can be applied to clinical practice: Imaging time must be shortened, and image distortion must be minimized. Single-shot echo-planar MR imaging with parallel imaging technique enabled both objectives to be accomplished. Twenty-three consecutive patients with brain tumors underwent MR imaging with a 1.5-T whole-body MR system. Fiber tracts on the lesion side in the brain had varying degrees of displacement or disruption as a result of the tumor. Tract disruption resulted from direct tumor involvement, compression on the tract, and vasogenic edema surrounding the tumor. This diffusion-tensor MR imaging method with the parallel imaging technique allows clinically feasible brain fiber tracking.