Assessing atrophy of the major white matter fiber bundles of the brain from diffusion tensor MRI data.

Brain atrophy is a typical feature of many neurological conditions. Therefore, quantitative evaluation and spatial characterization of atrophy are potentially useful for monitoring the evolution of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. In this study, a method for measuring atrophy of the major white matter (WM) fiber bundles in the brain using diffusion tensor (DT) MRI data is developed. To this end, an atlas was created from sets of diffusion anisotropy images from normal subjects, and the deformations necessary to match single subject anisotropy images to this atlas were then computed. Because diffusion anisotropy images were used, this approach should be sensitive to fiber bundle volume changes in the same way that using T1-weighted images allows gray matter volume changes to be measured. The Jacobian determinant of the deformation field for each subject was then used as a measure of contraction or expansion of the tissue at each image voxel. An overview of the nonlinear registration problem is given; then an optimization of the parameters for the chosen algorithm is performed and the method for producing the atlas is described. The effectiveness of the method was then tested on data from five patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and two patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).     

Dynamic corticospinal white matter connectivity changes during stroke recovery: A diffusion tensor probabilistic tractography study

Purpose

To investigate corticospinal tract connectivity changes at the cortical surface using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography during recovery from stroke.

Materials and Methods

Using data from 10 stroke patients (four subcortical) and six elderly controls, we developed an automated method to quantify altered motor connectivity that involves the use of a simplified cortical surface model as a seed mask with target regions defined within the corticospinal tracts to initiate a probabilistic tractography algorithm.

Results

We found no change in volume overlap of the generated corticospinal tracts in the stroke patients compared to controls, but significant connectivity changes at the boundary of the simplified cortical surface mask, especially within the ipsilesional hemisphere of stroke patients over time. Using the cortical regions with significantly enhanced connectivity as a seed mask on the patient data, tracts that are directly associated with stroke recovery can be delineated. Measures of uncertainty in fiber orientation within these fiber tracts significantly correlated with functional outcome.

Conclusion

The novel findings from this study highlight the usefulness of this methodology to study white matter repair/reorganization during stroke recovery. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;29:529–536. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Contribution of diffusion tensor imaging to delineation of gliomas and glioblastomas

PURPOSE: To determine if the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) can differentiate between accompanying edema and tumor cell infiltration of white matter (WM) beyond the tumor edge as defined from conventional MRI in low- and high-grade gliomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined 12 patients with high-grade gliomas/glioblastomas and eight patients with low-grade gliomas and compared them to 10 patients with meningiomas, in which no tumor infiltration is expected. The tumor was defined as the enhancing area in glioblastomas and meningiomas and as the area of increased T2-signal in low-grade gliomas. FA and MD were measured in the center of the tumor and in the adjacent WM. The contralateral WM and internal capsule were used as an internal standard. RESULTS: Comparing the WM areas of increased T2-signal adjacent to meningiomas and glioblastomas, we saw a trend (without significance) towards a reduction of FA, but not of MD, in glioblastomas. We found no changes of FA and MD in the WM adjacent to low-grade gliomas (without T2-signal increase) compared to the WM of the contralateral hemisphere. In meningiomas and high-grade gliomas/glioblastomas, a narrow rim of significantly (P < 0.01) increased FA and decreased MD values around the enhancing tumor area was seen, whereas in low-grade gliomas, such a rim could not be defined. There was no contribution of FA or MD to grading of gliomas. CONCLUSION: In glioblastomas, a reduction of FA in the edematous area surrounding the tumor may indicate tumor cell infiltration, but a reliable differentiation between infiltration and vasogenic edema is not yet possible on the basis of DTI. The additional finding of a narrow rim of increased FA and decreased MD at the edge of glioblastomas (as well as in meningiomas) may be caused by com-pressed WM fibers and/or increased vascularity, but does not contribute to exclude peripheral cellular infiltration.     

Visualization and analysis of white matter structural asymmetry in diffusion tensor MRI data.

This work presents a method that permits the characterization, quantification, and 3D visualization of white matter structural information contained within diffusion tensor MR imaging (DT-MRI) data. In this method, regions within the brain are defined as possessing linear, planar, or spherical diffusion. Visualization of this diffusion metric data is realized by generating streamtube and streamsurface models to represent regions of linear and planar diffusion. Quantification of differences in diffusion anisotropy between different regions of interest (ROIs) is then achieved by analyzing 2D barycentric histograms created from the complete distribution of diffusion metric values measured in each region. In four healthy volunteers, there was only a small degree of asymmetry (epsilon) in the number of linear, planar, or spherical diffusion voxels between the right and left hemispheres (epsilon approximately equal to +/- 2%). However, in a patient with a metastatic brain lesion there was marked asymmetry in both linear (epsilon approximately -10%) and planar (epsilon approximately equal to 5%) diffusion between comparable ipsilateral and contralateral regions, with a significant reduction in the number of linear diffusion voxels and an increase in the number of planar diffusion voxels in the tumor-bearing hemisphere. These results demonstrate the potential of this approach to characterize brain structure in both healthy and diseased subjects.     

Characterization of white matter alterations in phenylketonuria by magnetic resonance relaxometry and diffusion tensor imaging.

A multimodal MR study including relaxometry, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and MR spectroscopy was performed on patients with classical phenylketonuria (PKU) and matched controls, to improve our understanding of white matter (WM) lesions. Relaxometry yields information on myelin loss or malformation and may substantiate results from DTI attributed to myelin changes. Relaxometry was used to determine four brain compartments in normal-appearing brain tissue (NABT) and in lesions: water in myelin bilayers (myelin water, MW), water in gray matter (GM), water in WM, and water with long relaxation times (cerebrospinal fluid [CSF]-like signals). DTI yielded apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) and fractional anisotropies. MW and WM content were reduced in NABT and in lesions of PKU patients, while CSF-like signals were significantly increased. ADC values were reduced in PKU lesions, but also in the corpus callosum. Diffusion anisotropy was reduced in lesions because of a stronger decrease in the longitudinal than in the transverse diffusion. WM content and CSF-like components in lesions correlated with anisotropy and ADC. ADC values in lesions and in the corpus callosum correlated negatively with blood and brain phenylalanine (Phe) concentrations. Intramyelinic edema combined with vacuolization is a likely cause of the WM alterations. Correlations between diffusivity and Phe concentrations confirm vulnerability of WM to high Phe concentrations.     

Cerebral white matter damage in frontotemporal dementia assessed by diffusion tensor tractography

INTRODUCTION: We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to study white matter integrity in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). METHODS: The subjects comprised 20 patients (9 men, 11 women) with FTD and 17 age-matched healthy controls (9 men, 8 women). Based on the data obtained from DTI, we performed tractography of the major cerebral pathways, including the pyramidal tracts, genu and splenium of the corpus callosum (CC), bilateral arcuate fasciculi (AF), inferior longitudinal fasciculi (ILF) and uncinate fasciculi (UF). We measured the values of fractional anisotropy (FA) in each fiber and statistically compared the findings in patients with those in controls. RESULTS: We found a significant decrease in FA values in the selected association fibers as well as anterior fibers of the CC in the patients with FTD. The greatest decrease in mean FA of the UF was seen in advanced FTD. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in FA in the bilateral pyramidal tracts. CONCLUSION: The features of FTD from the view point of cerebral white matter damage were revealed by tractography based on DTI. DTI is therefore considered to be a useful method, and may provide clues to elucidating the pathogenesis of FTD.     

Multiscale white matter fiber tract coregistration: a new feature-based approach to align diffusion tensor data.

In this paper an automatic multiscale feature-based rigid-body coregistration technique for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based on the local curvature kappa and torsion tau of the white matter (WM) fiber pathways is presented. As a similarity measure, the mean squared difference (MSD) of corresponding fiber pathways in (kappa, tau)-space is chosen. After the MSD is minimized along the arc length of the curve, principal component analysis is applied to calculate the transformation parameters. In addition, a scale-space representation of the space curves is incorporated, resulting in a multiscale robust coregistration technique. This fully automatic technique inherently allows one to apply region of interest (ROI) coregistration, and is adequate for performing both global and local transformations. Simulations were performed on synthetic DT data to evaluate the coregistration accuracy and precision. An in vivo coregistration example is presented and compared with a voxel-based coregistration approach, demonstrating the feasibility and advantages of the proposed technique to align DT data of the human brain.     

DTI和T1WI测值法在早产儿脑发育评估中的应用价值

目的:探讨磁共振扩散张量成像(DTI)和T1WI测值法在早产儿脑发育评估中的应用价值.方法:将32例早产儿根据分娩孕周分为早期早产儿组(出生胎龄≤32周,19例)和中晚期早产儿组(出生胎龄>32周,13例),均进行DTI检查,测量感兴趣区(ROI)的各向异性分数(FA)值和表观扩散系数(ADC)值.ROI包括胼胝体压部...     

Tractography-based quantitation of diffusion tensor imaging parameters in white matter tracts of preterm newborns

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of performing diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) to map and quantify the pyramidal white matter tracts of premature newborns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen diffusion tensor MRI (DTI) examinations of nine premature newborns were evaluated. DTT was performed to segment bilateral pyramidal tracts, using a fiber-tracking algorithm originating in the cerebral peduncle (CP) and filtering through the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) and precentral gyrus (PCG). Voxels containing the resulting tracts were then used for quantitation of DTI parameters along the tract. The DTT-based tract measurements were compared with standard manually placed region-of-interest (ROI) measurements at four locations along the pyramidal tract, and the reproducibility of each technique was evaluated. RESULTS: DTT demonstrated improved reproducibility over manual ROI measurement for pyramidal tract quantitation and was less subject to intra-operator variability (P < 0.0001, Fisher test for equal variance). In general, the anatomic locations and measurements obtained with the two techniques were in good agreement, although some systematic differences were identified in the PLIC and CP. CONCLUSION: Fiber DTT is feasible in premature newborns, provides more reproducible tract measurements than manual ROI methods, and allows quantitation along the entire tract for more detailed DTI assessment of white matter maturation.     

扩散张量成像在颅内肿瘤周围白质区的应用

目的：评价MR扩散张量成像技术在不同级别胶质瘤、脑膜瘤及转移瘤周围正常脑白质区的应用价值。方法：对43例颅内肿瘤患者行常规MRI及扩散张量成像检查,其中高级别胶质瘤12例,低级别胶质瘤10例,脑膜瘤12例、转移瘤9例。测量瘤周正常脑白质的FA值及对侧相应解剖部位正常脑白质的FA值,行组间统计学分析。结果：高级别胶质瘤瘤周正常脑白质FA值低于对侧正常脑白质FA值,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）;低级别胶质瘤、脑膜瘤及转移瘤FA值的差异无统计学意义。高级别胶质瘤瘤周正常脑白质FA值与低级别胶质瘤、脑膜瘤、转移瘤瘤周正常脑白质之间差异有统计学意义,后三者之间的差异比较无统计学意义。结论：MR扩散张量成像技术有助于颅内肿瘤的定性诊断及推测肿瘤细胞的浸润范围。     

High angular resolution diffusion imaging reveals intravoxel white matter fiber heterogeneity.

Magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can resolve the white matter fiber orientation within a voxel provided that the fibers are strongly aligned. However, a given voxel may contain a distribution of fiber orientations due to, for example, intravoxel fiber crossing. The present study sought to test whether a geodesic, high b-value diffusion gradient sampling scheme could resolve multiple fiber orientations within a single voxel. In regions of fiber crossing the diffusion signal exhibited multiple local maxima/minima as a function of diffusion gradient orientation, indicating the presence of multiple intravoxel fiber orientations. The multimodality of the observed diffusion signal precluded the standard tensor reconstruction, so instead the diffusion signal was modeled as arising from a discrete mixture of Gaussian diffusion processes in slow exchange, and the underlying mixture of tensors was solved for using a gradient descent scheme. The multitensor reconstruction resolved multiple intravoxel fiber populations corresponding to known fiber anatomy. Ma     

The effect of Tai Chi practice on brain white matter structure: a diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging study

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures the displacement of water molecules across tissue components and thus provides information on the microstructure of brain white matter. This study examined the effect of Tai Chi and the relation of Tai Chi experiences and skills with brain white matter. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was obtained from the DTI magnetic resonance images of two group participants, namely, the long-term Tai Chi practitioners and sedentary counterparts. Whole-brain voxel-based analysis showed that the Tai Chi group had higher FA in the splenium of corpus callosum (p = 0.015) than the control group. Rank correlation analysis revealed that in the Tai Chi group, the FA value of the splenium of corpus callosum was moderately related with exercise duration (r = 0.45, p = 0.045) but highly related with skill level (r = 0.699, p = 0.001). Long-term Tai Chi practice could benefit to the brain white matter, and these impacts were correlated with exercise duration and skill level.     

Three-dimensional white matter tractography by diffusion tensor imaging in ischaemic stroke involving the corticospinal tract

Diffusion tensor MR imaging (DTI) provides information on diffusion anisotropy, which can be expressed with three-dimensional (3D) white matter tractography. We used 3D white matter tractography to show the corticospinal tract in eight patients with acute or early subacute ischaemic stroke involving the posterior limb of the internal capsule or corona radiata and to assess involvement of the tract. Infarcts and the tract were shown simultaneously, providing information on their spatial relationships. In five of the eight patients, 3D fibre tract maps showed the corticospinal tract in close proximity to the infarct but not to pass through it. All these patients recovered well, with maximum improvement from the lowest score on manual muscle testing (MMT) up to the full score through rehabilitation. In the other three patients the corticospinal tract was shown running through the infarct; reduction in MMT did not necessarily improve favourably or last longer, other than in one patient. As 3D white matter tractography can show spatial relationships between the corticospinal tract and an infarct, it might be helpful in prognosis of gross motor function.     

大脑白质纤维磁共振弥散张量成像扫描参数研究

目的：探讨不同的磁共振弥散张量成像（diffusion tensor imaging,DTI）扫描参数对大脑白质纤维弥散张量图像的影响,以期获得最佳的扫描参数。方法：21例正常志愿者（男11例,女10例;年龄16-63岁,平均38.7岁）参加了该项研究。随机分为3组：b值组、弥散敏感梯度方向组和层厚/层间距组。各组分别应用不同的DTI扫描参数,第1组b值组：可变参数是b值,分别为300、1 000、3 000 s/mm^2mm,不变参数是：层厚/层间距5 mm/0 mm,弥散敏感梯度方向数21。第2组弥散敏感梯度方向组：可变参数是弥散敏感梯度方向数,分别为6、13、21,不变参数是：层厚/层间距5 mm/0 mm,b值为1 000 s/mm^2。第3组层厚/层间距组,可变参数是层厚/层间距,分别为8 mm/2 mm5、mm/0 mm、3.5 mm/0 mm,不变参数是：b值为1 000 s/mm^2,弥散敏感梯度方向数为21。将所成FA图像和DEC图分为3个不同的等级,进行评价。结果：不同的扫描参数所成大脑白质纤维弥散张量图像的质量是不相同的。在b值组,以低b值所成图像较佳,其中以b值=1 000 s/mm^2为最佳,而高b值所成图像噪声较大。施加的弥散敏感梯度方向数并非越多越好,13个方向与21个方向所成图像没有明显差别,6个方向所成图像质量较差。层厚/层间距对图像的影响最大,层厚越厚,图像的信噪比越大。结论：在临床工作中,比较实用的大脑白质纤维弥散张量成像扫描参数为：b值=1 000 s/mm^2,弥散敏感梯度方向数为13,层厚/层间距为5 mm/0 mm。     

创伤性脑白质损伤的扩散张量成像研究

目的:评价扩散张量成像(DTI)在创伤性脑白质损伤(WMI)中的应用价值。方法:16例创伤性脑外伤后经临床诊断有WMI的患者通过Philips 1.5TIntera Achieva MR扫描仪行常规MRI和DTI。后处理获得部分各向异性指数(FA)、表观弥散系数(ADC)和纤维示踪成像三维图。根据T2WI及T2快速场回波图像,分别于WMI区域、同侧同名或对侧同名纤维束正常区域取感兴趣区,测量FA值和ADC值并进行比较。结果:脑外伤患者损伤脑白质中挫伤和出血、仅挫伤和仅出血区域三者之间的FA值(F=0.68,P>0.05)和ADC值(F=0.53,P>0.05)均未见明显不同。除仅出血区域的ADC值与对照区域相比差异无统计学意义(t=1.36,P>0.05),挫伤和出血(t=9.72,P<0.05)、仅挫伤(t=8.28,P<0.05)和仅出血(t=5.44,P<0.05)区域的FA值较正常对照区域明显降低,挫伤和出血(t=4.71,P<0.05)、仅挫伤(t=4.81,P<0.05)的ADC值较正常对照明显增高,纤维示踪成像显示损伤区域脑白质较正常区域稀疏、分离、缺失。结论:DTI技术能够显示患者WMI区域的异常改变,但ADC值对出血的判断有局限性。     

Normal white matter development from infancy to adulthood: comparing diffusion tensor and high b value diffusion weighted MR images

PURPOSE: To evaluate the sensitivity of high b value diffusion weight magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) in detecting normal white matter maturation, compare it to conventional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and to obtain normative quantitative data using this method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: High b value DWI (b(max) = 6000 sec/mm(2)) using q-space analysis and conventional DTI (b = 1000 sec/mm(2)) were performed on 36 healthy subjects aged 4 months to 23 years. Fractional-anisotropy (FA), apparent-displacement, and apparent-probability values were measured in all slices and in six regions of interest (ROIs) of large fiber tracks. Values were correlated with each other and with age using regression analysis. RESULTS: FA, displacement, and probability indices from all slices were highly correlated with each other (r > 0.87, P < 0.0001) and with age (r > 0.82, P < 0.0001). All age-related changes in the six pre-determined ROIs were best fitted by mono-exponential functions. Changes in the splenium extended to a later age when compared with the genu of the corpus-callosum, while the centrum semi-ovale demonstrated the latest changes with age. CONCLUSIONS: High b-value DWI and DTI showed changes in white matter from infancy through adulthood. However, high b-value detects a signal that is likely to originate mainly from the intra-axonal water population, and thus may represent different aspects of development and different sensitivity to pathology.     

Water diffusion anisotropy in white and gray matter of the human spinal cord

PURPOSE: To develop a reliable technique for diffusion imaging of the human spinal cord at 1.5 Tesla and to assess potential differences in diffusion anisotropy in cross-sectional images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single-shot echo-planar imaging sequence with double spin-echo diffusion preparation was optimized regarding cerebrospinal fluid artifacts, effective resolution, and contrast-to-noise ratios. Eleven healthy volunteers participated in the study for quantitative characterization of diffusion anisotropy in white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) by means of two diffusion encoding schemes: octahedral-six-directions for fractional anisotropy (FA) evaluation and orthogonal-three-directions for anisotropy index (AI) calculation. RESULTS: Pulse-trigger gated sequences with optimal matrix size (read x phase = 64 x 32) and b-value (700 s/mm(2)) allowed the acquisition of high-resolved images (voxel size = 0.9 x 0.9 x 5.0 mm(3)). The GM butterfly shape was recognizable in both AI and FA maps. Both encoding schemes yielded high diffusion anisotropy in dorsal WM (FA = 0.79 +/- 0.07; AI = 0.39 +/- 0.04). Lateral WM showed slightly lower anisotropy (FA = 0.69 +/- 0.08; AI = 0.35 +/- 0.03) than dorsal WM. Clearly smaller anisotropy was found in regions containing GM (FA = 0.45 +/- 0.06; AI = 0.21 +/- 0.05). CONCLUSION: Diffusion anisotropy data of the spinal cord can be obtained in a clinical setting. Its application seems promising for the assessment of neurological disorders.