A tract-specific framework for white matter morphometry combining macroscopic and microscopic tract features

Med Image Comput Comput Assist Interv. 2009;12(Pt 2):141-9. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-04271-3_18.

Abstract

Diffusion tensor imaging plays a key role in our understanding of white matter (WM) both in normal populations and in populations with brain disorders. Existing techniques focus primarily on using diffusivity-based quantities derived from diffusion tensor as surrogate measures of microstructural tissue properties of WM. In this paper, we describe a novel tract-specific framework that enables the examination of WM morphometry at both the macroscopic and microscopic scales. The framework leverages the skeleton-based modeling of sheet-like WM fasciculi using the continuous medial representation, which gives a natural definition of thickness and supports its comparison across subjects. The thickness measure provides a macroscopic characterization of WM fasciculi that complements existing analysis of microstructural features. The utility of the framework is demonstrated in quantifying WM atrophy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a severe neurodegenerative disease of motor neurons. We show that, compared to using microscopic features alone, combining the macroscopic and microscopic features gives a more holistic characterization of the disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Brain / cytology*
  • Diffusion Tensor Imaging / methods*
  • Humans
  • Image Enhancement / methods
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / methods*
  • Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / ultrastructure*
  • Pattern Recognition, Automated / methods*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity