Differences in Analysis Methods of the Human Uncinate Fasciculus Using Diffusion Tensor MRI
The human uncinate fasciculus is an important cortico-cortical white matter pathway that directly connects the frontal and temporal lobes, but its exact functional role is not yet known. Using diffusion tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), the uncinate fasciculus can be extracted and its volume calculated. DTI metrics such as fractional anisotropy for the uncinate fasciculus can also be analyzed, but there are currently three different methods for this analysis. DTI reports on the uncinate fasciculus are conducted using region of interest, voxel-based, and fiber tracking deterministic approaches. Due to these differences in analysis methods, prior studies report conflicting levels of uncinate asymmetry measured with diffusion anisotropy. Here, the authors briefly introduce these three different methods for measuring uncinate asymmetry values and compare the results. This result can lead to a better understanding of the role of the uncinate fasciculus in future behavioral and clinical studies.