Diffusion Tensor (DT)-MRI of the Brain. Review of Clinical Pediatric Applications

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 266-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Bernardi ◽  
G. Price ◽  
E. Thomas ◽  
M. Makki
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Brain Diseases ◽  
Brain Maturation ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Diffusion Characteristics ◽  
Apparent Diffusion ◽  
Data Acquisition And Processing

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), is a new MR-based technique allowing, in-vivo, the assessment of the water diffusive transport in cerebral tissues, depending on the molecular and biochemical environment. Over the past decade, DTI has become an indispensable part of the MR evaluation of pediatric brain in the clinical practice. Quantitative analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), the two most common indices used to describe the diffusion characteristics, helps the comprehension of the childhood brain maturation and enables the early detection of several brain diseases. DTI also allows us to look at anisotropic diffusion within white matter tracts. To better demonstrate the location and orientation of the white matter tracts, new and/or more sophisticated methods such as Color-Encoded Map and Fiber Tracking have been proposed. We review the theoretical background of DT-MRI, the modality of its data acquisition and processing and some of its commonest applications, particularly in Pediatric Neuroradiology.

scholarly journals Myelination of major white matter tracts continues beyond childhood—combining tractography and myelin water imaging

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias W. Meissner ◽  
Erhan Genç ◽  
Burkhard Mädler ◽  
Sarah Weigelt
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Late Childhood ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
White Matter Maturation ◽  
Myelin Water Fraction ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Dti

AbstractAxonal myelination is a key white matter maturation process as it increases conduction velocity, synchrony, and reliability. While diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is sensitive to myelination, it is also sensitive to unrelated microstructural properties, thus hindering straightforward interpretations. Myelin water imaging (MWI) provides a more reliable and direct in vivo measure of myelination. Although early histological studies show protracted myelination from childhood to adulthood, reliable tract-specific in vivo evidence from MWI is still lacking. Here, we combine MWI and DTI tractography to investigate myelination in middle childhood, late childhood, and adulthood in 18 major white matter tracts. In the vast majority of major white matter tracts, myelin water fraction continued to increase beyond late childhood. Our study provides first in vivo evidence for protracted myelination beyond late childhood.

scholarly journals Diffusion Tensor Imaging: A Promising New Technique for Accurate Identification of the Stria Medullaris and Habenula

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Osama Kheiralla ◽  
Aymen Abdalkariem ◽  
Ali Alghamdi ◽  
Abdulrahman Tajaldeen ◽  
Naif Hamid
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Imaging Method ◽  
Accurate Identification ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Brain Microstructure ◽  
Primary Output

The Stria Medullaris (SM) is a white-matter tract that contains afferent fibres that connect the cognitive-emotional areas in the forebrain to the Habenula (Hb). The Hb plays an important role in behavioral responses to reward, stress, anxiety, pain, and sleep through its action on neuromodulator systems. The Fasciculus Retroflexus (FR) forms the primary output of the Hb to the midbrain. The SM, Hb, and FR are part of a special pathway between the forebrain and the midbrain known as the Dorsal Diencephalic Conduction system (DDC). Hb dysfunction is accompanied by different types of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression, and Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD). Due to difficulties in the imaging assessment of the SM and HB in vivo, they had not been a focus of clinical studies until the invention of Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), which has revolutionized the imaging and investigation of the SM and Hb. DTI has facilitated the imaging of the SM and Hb and has provided insights into their properties through the investigation of their monoamine dysregulation. DTI is a well-established technique for mapping brain microstructure and white matter tracts; it provides indirect information about the microstructural architecture and integrity of white matter in vivo, based on water diffusion properties in the intra- and extracellular space, such as Axial Diffusivity (AD), Radial Diffusivity (RD), mean diffusivity, and Fractional Anisotropy (FA). Neurosurgeons have recognized the potential value of DTI in the direct anatomical targeting of the SM and Hb prior to Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery for the treatment of certain neuropsychiatric conditions, such as TRD. DTI is the only non-invasive method that offers the possibility of visualization in vivo of the white-matter tracts and nuclei in the human brain. This review study summarizes the use of DTI as a promising new imaging method for accurate identification of the SM and Hb, with special emphasis on direct anatomical targeting of the SM and Hb prior to DBS surgery.

Individual differences in white and grey matter structure associated with verbal habits of thought

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin C. Hayes ◽  
Katherine L Alfred ◽  
Rachel Pizzie ◽  
Joshua S. Cetron ◽  
David J. M. Kraemer
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Self Report ◽  
White Matter Tracts

Modality specific encoding habits account for a significant portion of individual differences reflected in functional activation during cognitive processing. Yet, little is known about how these habits of thought influence long-term structural changes in the brain. Traditionally, habits of thought have been assessed using self-report questionnaires such as the visualizer-verbalizer questionnaire. Here, rather than relying on subjective reports, we measured habits of thought using a novel behavioral task assessing attentional biases toward picture and word stimuli. Hypothesizing that verbal habits of thought are reflected in the structural integrity of white matter tracts and cortical regions of interest, we used diffusion tensor imaging and volumetric analyses to assess this prediction. Using a whole-brain approach, we show that word bias is associated with increased volume in several bilateral language regions, in both white and grey matter parcels. Additionally, connectivity within white matter tracts within an a priori speech production network increased as a function of word bias. These results demonstrate long-term structural and morphological differences associated with verbal habits of thought.

scholarly journals White matter in prolonged glucocorticoid response to psychological stress in schizophrenia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric L. Goldwaser ◽  
Joshua Chiappelli ◽  
Mark D. Kvarta ◽  
Xiaoming Du ◽  
Zachary B. Millman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Psychological Stress ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity ◽  
Cortisol Responses ◽  
Psychological Stressor ◽  
Post Stress

AbstractStress is implicated in psychosis etiology and exacerbation, but pathogenesis toward brain network alterations in schizophrenia remain unclear. White matter connects limbic and prefrontal regions responsible for stress response regulation, and white matter tissues are also vulnerable to glucocorticoid aberrancies. Using a novel psychological stressor task, we studied cortisol stress responses over time and white matter microstructural deficits in schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). Cortisol was measured at baseline, 0-, 20-, and 40-min after distress induction by a psychological stressor task in 121 SSD patients and 117 healthy controls (HC). White matter microstructural integrity was measured by 64-direction diffusion tensor imaging. Fractional anisotropy (FA) in white matter tracts were related to cortisol responses and then compared to general patterns of white matter tract deficits in SSD identified by mega-analysis. Differences between 40-min post-stress and baseline, but not acute reactivity post-stress, was significantly elevated in SSD vs HC, time × diagnosis interaction F2.3,499.9 = 4.1, p = 0.013. All SSD white matter tracts were negatively associated with prolonged cortisol reactivity but all tracts were positively associated with prolonged cortisol reactivity in HC. Individual tracts most strongly associated with prolonged cortisol reactivity were also most impacted in schizophrenia in general as established by the largest schizophrenia white matter study (r = −0.56, p = 0.006). Challenged with psychological stress, SSD and HC mount similar cortisol responses, and impairments arise in the resolution timeframe. Prolonged cortisol elevations are associated with the white matter deficits in SSD, in a pattern previously associated with schizophrenia in general.

scholarly journals Multiple sclerosis and depressive manifestations: can diffusion tensor MR imaging help in the detection of microstructural white matter changes?

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Talaat A. Hassan ◽  
Shaima Fattouh Elkholy ◽  
Bahaa Eldin Mahmoud ◽  
Mona ElSherbiny
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Limbic System ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Uncinate Fasciculus ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background Multiple sclerosis is one of the commonest causes of neurological disability in middle-aged and young adults. Depression in MS patients can compromise cognitive functions, lead to suicide attempts, impair relationships and reduce compliance with disease-modifying treatments. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the microstructural changes in the white matter tracts of the limbic system in MS patients with and those without depressive manifestations using a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) technique. Methods This study included 40 patients who were divided into three groups. Group 1 comprised of 20 patients with relapsing-remitting MS with depressive symptoms and group 2 comprised 10 MS patients without symptoms of depression. The third group is a control group that included 10 age-matched healthy individuals. All patients underwent conventional MRI examinations and DTI to compare the fractional anisotropy (FA) values in the white matter tracts of the limbic system. Results We compared the DTI findings in MS patients with and those without depressive symptoms. It was found that patients with depression and MS exhibited a significant reduction in the FA values of the cingulum (P < 0.0111 on the right and P < 0.0142 on the left), uncinate fasciculus (P < 0.0001 on the right and P < 0.0076 on the left) and the fornix (P < 0.0001 on both sides). No significant difference was found between the FA values of the anterior thalamic radiations in both groups. Conclusion Patients with depression and MS showed more pronounced microstructural damage in the major white matter connections of the limbic pathway, namely, the uncinate fasciculus, cingulum and fornix. These changes can be detected by DTI as decreased FA values in depressed MS patients compared to those in non-depressed patients.

scholarly journals Direct segmentation of the major white matter tracts in diffusion tensor images

NeuroImage ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 458-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Louis Bazin ◽  
Chuyang Ye ◽  
John A. Bogovic ◽  
Navid Shiee ◽  
Daniel S. Reich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Images

Diffusion tensor tractography of the temporal stem on the inferior limiting sulcus

2008 ◽  
Vol 108 (4) ◽  
pp. 775-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Wang ◽  
Tao Sun ◽  
Xing-Gang Li ◽  
Na-Jia Liu
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Anterior Commissure ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Tractography ◽  
Optic Radiation ◽  
Uncinate Fasciculus ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Temporal Horn ◽  
Temporal Stem

Object The aim of this study was to use diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) to define the 3D relationships of the uncinate fasciculus, anterior commissure, inferior occipitofrontal fasciculus, inferior thalamic peduncle, and optic radiation and to determine the positioning landmarks of these white matter tracts. Methods The anatomy was studied in 10 adult human brain specimens. Brain DTT was performed in 10 healthy volunteers. Diffusion tensor tractography images of the white matter tracts in the temporal stem were obtained using the simple single region of interest (ROI) and multi-ROIs based on the anatomical knowledge. Results The posteroinferior insular point is the anterior extremity of intersection of the Heschl gyrus and the inferior limiting sulcus. On the inferior limiting sulcus, this point is the posterior limit of the optic radiation, and the temporal stem begins at the limen insulae and ends at the posteroinferior insular point. The distance from the limen insulae to the tip of the temporal horn is just one third the length of the temporal stem. The uncinate fasciculus comprises the core of the anterior temporal stem, behind which the anterior commissure and the inferior thalamic peduncle are located, and they occupy the anterior third of the temporal stem. The inferior occipitofrontal fasciculus passes through the entire temporal stem. The most anterior extent of the Meyer loop is located between the anterior tip of the temporal horn and the limen insulae. Most of the optic radiation crosses the postmedian two thirds of the temporal stem. Conclusions On the inferior limiting sulcus, the posteroinferior insular point is a reliable landmark of the posterior limit of the optic radiations. The limen insulae, anterior tip of the temporal horn, and posteroinferior insular point may be used to localize the white matter fibers of the temporal stem in analyzing magnetic resonance imaging or during surgery.

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