Automatic whole brain tract-based analysis using predefined tracts in a diffusion spectrum imaging template and an accurate registration strategy

Background/aimWe investigated the microstructural changes in white matter of adults with amblyopia using diffusion spectrum imaging with systematic tract-based automatic analysis of the whole brain.MethodsTen adults with amblyopia (six women and four men, 33.6±10.6 years old on average) and 20 age- and sex-matched normal-sighted controls were enrolled. The mean generalised fractional anisotropy (GFA) was measured in 76 white matter tracts and compared between the experimental and control groups using a threshold-free cluster-weighted method and t-test. A 2-percentile cut-off was used to identify segments with the greatest differences between the two groups.ResultsParticipants with amblyopia had significantly lower GFA values than the controls in 11 segments located in nine white matter tracts, which included the following: left arcuate fasciculus, left frontal aslant tract, left fornix and left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus of the association fibres; left thalamic radiations of the auditory nerve and bilateral optic radiations of the projection fibres; and genu and middle temporal gyrus of the callosal fibres. Amblyopic participants had statistically higher GFA values in the bilateral uncinate fasciculus than those of the controls.ConclusionThis preliminary study using whole-brain tractographic analysis of white matter reveals association between abnormal early visual processing and alterations in brain architecture, which may be related to various higher-level deficits, such as audiovisual integration and hand−eye coordination in patients with amblyopia.

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Halving imaging time of whole brain diffusion spectrum imaging and diffusion tractography using simultaneous image refocusing in EPI

Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

10.1002/jmri.21497 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 517-522 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Timothy G. Reese ◽

Thomas Benner ◽

Ruopeng Wang ◽

David A. Feinberg ◽

Van J. Wedeen

Keyword(s):

Whole Brain ◽

Diffusion Tractography ◽

Diffusion Spectrum Imaging ◽

Imaging Time ◽

Spectrum Imaging ◽

And Diffusion

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Delineating the Decussating Dentato-rubro-thalamic Tract and Its Connections in Humans Using Diffusion Spectrum Imaging Techniques

The Cerebellum ◽

10.1007/s12311-021-01283-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Si-Qi Ou ◽

Peng-Hu Wei ◽

Xiao-Tong Fan ◽

Yi-He Wang ◽

Fei Meng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Imaging Techniques ◽

Diffusion Spectrum Imaging ◽

Spectrum Imaging

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Different neural substrates for executive functions in youths with ADHD: a diffusion spectrum imaging tractography study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291715002767 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 46 (6) ◽

pp. 1225-1238 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

H.-L. Chiang ◽

Y.-J. Chen ◽

C.-Y. Shang ◽

W.-Y. I. Tseng ◽

S. S.-F. Gau

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

Executive Functions ◽

White Matter Tracts ◽

Fibre Tract ◽

Diffusion Spectrum Imaging ◽

Cingulum Bundle ◽

Microstructural Property ◽

Wide Range ◽

Spectrum Imaging ◽

Microstructural Integrity

BackgroundThe relationship between white-matter tracts and executive functions (EF) in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has not been well studied and previous studies mainly focused on frontostriatal (FS) tracts. The authors explored the microstructural property of several fibre tracts hypothesized to be involved in EF, to correlate their microstructural property with EF, and to explore whether such associations differ between ADHD and typically developing (TD) youths.MethodWe assessed 45 youths with ADHD and 45 individually matched TD youths with a computerized test battery for multiple dimensions of EF. From magnetic resonance imaging, FS tract, superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), arcuate fasciculus (AF) and cingulum bundle (CB) were reconstructed by diffusion spectrum imaging tractography. The generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA) values of white-matter tracts were computed to present microstructural property of each tract.ResultsWe found lower GFA in the left FS tract, left SLF, left AF and right CB, and poorer performance in set-shifting, sustained attention, cognitive inhibition and visuospatial planning in ADHD than TD. The ADHD and TD groups demonstrated different association patterns between EF and fibre tract microstructural property. Most of the EF were associated with microstructural integrity of the FS tract and CB in TD youths, while with that of the FS tract, SLF and AF in youths with ADHD.ConclusionsOur findings support that the SLF, AF and CB also involve in a wide range of EF and that the main fibre tracts involved in EF are different in youths with ADHD.

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Microstructural Description of Cerebral Tissues from Diffusion Spectrum Imaging Data

2014 IEEE International Conference on Healthcare Informatics ◽

10.1109/ichi.2014.68 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Lorenza Brusini ◽

Mauro Zucchelli ◽

Cristina Granziera ◽

Gloria Menegaz

Keyword(s):

Imaging Data ◽

Diffusion Spectrum Imaging ◽

Spectrum Imaging

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Dependence of Scan Parameters on Nerve Fiber Crossing Depiction in Diffusion Spectrum Imaging in Clinical Practice

Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography ◽

10.1097/rct.0000000000000715 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 42 (4) ◽

pp. 522-526

Author(s):

Minghui Tang ◽

Kazuya Oshinomi ◽

Kinya Ishizaka ◽

Khin Khin Tha ◽

Toru Yamamoto

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

Nerve Fiber ◽

Diffusion Spectrum Imaging ◽

Spectrum Imaging

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Signal propagation via cortical hierarchies

Network Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/netn_a_00153 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 1072-1090 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bertha Vézquez-Rodríguez ◽

Zhen-Qi Liu ◽

Patric Hagmann ◽

Bratislav Misic

Keyword(s):

Shortest Paths ◽

Signal Propagation ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Hierarchical Organization ◽

Attention Networks ◽

Diffusion Spectrum Imaging ◽

Cortical Hierarchy ◽

Spectrum Imaging ◽

Structural Networks ◽

The Brain

The wiring of the brain is organized around a putative unimodal-transmodal hierarchy. Here we investigate how this intrinsic hierarchical organization of the brain shapes the transmission of information among regions. The hierarchical positioning of individual regions was quantified by applying diffusion map embedding to resting-state functional MRI networks. Structural networks were reconstructed from diffusion spectrum imaging and topological shortest paths among all brain regions were computed. Sequences of nodes encountered along a path were then labeled by their hierarchical position, tracing out path motifs. We find that the cortical hierarchy guides communication in the network. Specifically, nodes are more likely to forward signals to nodes closer in the hierarchy and cover a range of unimodal and transmodal regions, potentially enriching or diversifying signals en route. We also find evidence of systematic detours, particularly in attention networks, where communication is rerouted. Altogether, the present work highlights how the cortical hierarchy shapes signal exchange and imparts behaviorally relevant communication patterns in brain networks.

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