Academic literature on the topic 'Bundle based tractography'

Abstract BACKGROUND The cingulum bundle (CB) has long been a target for psychiatric neurosurgical procedures, but with limited understanding of the brain networks being impacted. Recent advances in human tractography could provide a foundation to better understand the effects of neurosurgical interventions on the CB; however, the reliability of tractography remains in question. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the ability of different tractography techniques, derived from typical, human diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) data, to characterize CB connectivity described in animal models. This will help validate the clinical applicability of tractography, and generate insight on current and future neurosurgical targets for psychiatric disorders. METHODS Connectivity of the CB in 15 healthy human subjects was evaluated using DWI-based tractography, and compared to tract-tracing findings from nonhuman primates. Brain regions of interest were defined to coincide with the animal model. Tractography was performed using 3 techniques (FSL probabilistic, Camino probabilistic, and Camino deterministic). Differences in connectivity were assessed, and the CB segment with the greatest connectivity was determined. RESULTS Each tractography technique successfully reproduced the animal tracing model with a mean accuracy of 72% (68-75%, P < .05). Additionally, one region of the CB, the rostral dorsal segment, had significantly greater connectivity to associated brain structures than all other CB segments (P < .05). CONCLUSION Noninvasive, in vivo human analysis of the CB, using clinically available DWI for tractography, consistently reproduced the results of an animal tract-tracing model. This suggests that tractography of the CB can be used for clinical applications, which may aid in neurosurgical targeting for psychiatric disorders.

ObjectiveHere, we examined the cingulum bundle, a long-range white matter tract mediating dorsal limbic connectivity, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography, in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) versus controls. We hypothesised that cingulum bundle microstructure would be altered in ASD, based on evidence implicating abnormal white matter connectivity in this disorder.MethodsDTI data were acquired for 19 ASD participants (IQ ⩾ 70; 7–18 years; mean = 12.4 ± 3.1) and 16 age-matched controls (7–18 years; mean = 12.3 ± 3.6) on a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging system. Deterministic tractography was used to isolate the cingulum bundle. Left and right cingulum bundles were examined for differences in several DTI metrics in ASD children/adolescents versus controls, including: fractional anisotropy (FA), mean, axial, and radial diffusivity.ResultsSignificant age × group interaction effects were found for all DTI metrics (mean diffusivity: F1,28 = 9.5, p = 0.005, radial diffusivity: F1,28 = 7.8, p = 0.009, axial diffusivity: F1,28 = 5.2, p = 0.03, FA: F1,28 = 4.4, p = 0.04). Interaction effects were driven by increases in cingulum bundle diffusivity (mean, radial, and axial diffusivity), and decreased FA, in younger ASD participants within our sample versus controls.ConclusionOur results point to immature microstructural organisation of the cingulum bundle in ASD, particularly during the early years of life, with implications for limbic network synchronisation and complex socio-emotional performance.

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) image registration is an essential step for diffusion tensor image analysis. Most of the fiber bundle based registration algorithms use deterministic fiber tracking technique to get the white matter fiber bundles, which will be affected by the noise and volume. In order to overcome the above problem, we proposed a Diffusion Tensor Imaging image registration method under probabilistic fiber bundles tractography learning. Probabilistic tractography technique can more reasonably trace to the structure of the nerve fibers. The residual error estimation step in active sample selection learning is improved by modifying the residual error model using finite sample set. The calculated deformation field is then registered on the DTI images. The results of our proposed registration method are compared with 6 state-of-the-art DTI image registration methods under visualization and 3 quantitative evaluation standards. The experimental results show that our proposed method has a good comprehensive performance.

Background Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography has recently been shown to successfully visualize periprostatic tracts allegedly representing the neurovascular bundle. Purpose To examine the impact of different fractional anisotropy (FA) thresholds on the results of DTI tractography in the male pelvis as well as to evaluate the resulting specificity for nerve tracts. Material and Methods Ten healthy male volunteers were examined at 3 Tesla. DTI tractography was performed based on seed points placed circularly around the prostate, in the rectoprostatic angle, the peripheral zone of the prostate, the sciatic nerve, and in addition the urinary bladder using FA thresholds of 0.20, 0.05, and 0.01. DTI tract number and DTI tract length measured with different FA thresholds were compared. ANOVA with repeated measures was used for statistics. Results DTI tract number and tract length were significantly dependent on FA thresholds. While a FA threshold of 0.20 visualized the typical distribution of DTI tracts in the sciatic nerve, a FA threshold of ≤0.05 was necessary to yield results visually mimicking the distribution of nerve tracts in the NVB. However, with such low FA thresholds even in the filled urinary bladder DTI tracts could be visualized. With FA thresholds of 0.20, the number and length of periprostatic DTI tracts did not differ from those measured within the prostate. Conclusion DTI tractography can be used to visualize DTI tracts periprostatically. However, one may doubt that these DTI tracts represent nerve tracts and that the periprostatic neurovascular bundle can be evaluated in a meaningful way with the current methods available.

Abstract BACKGROUND The middle temporal gyrus (MTG) is understood to play a role in language-related tasks such as lexical comprehension and semantic cognition. However, a more specific understanding of its key white matter connections could promote the preservation of these functions during neurosurgery. OBJECTIVE To provide a detailed description of the underlying white matter tracts associated with the MTG to improve semantic preservation during neurosurgery. METHODS Tractography was performed using diffusion imaging obtained from 10 healthy adults from the Human Connectome Project. All tracts were mapped between cerebral hemispheres with a subsequent laterality index calculated based on resultant tract volumes. Ten postmortem dissections were performed for ex vivo validation of the tractography based on qualitative visual agreement. RESULTS We identified 2 major white matter bundles leaving the MTG: the inferior longitudinal fasciculus and superior longitudinal fasciculus. In addition to long association fibers, a unique linear sequence of U-shaped fibers was identified, possibly representing a form of visual semantic transfer down the temporal lobe. CONCLUSION We elucidate the underlying fiber-bundle anatomy of the MTG, an area highly involved in the brain's language network. Improved understanding of the unique, underlying white matter connections in and around this area may augment our overall understanding of language processing as well as the involvement of higher order cerebral networks like the default mode network in these functions.

OBJECTIVEThe orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is understood to have a role in outcome evaluation and risk assessment and is commonly involved with infiltrative tumors. A detailed understanding of the exact location and nature of associated white matter tracts could significantly improve postoperative morbidity related to declining capacity. Through diffusion tensor imaging–based fiber tracking validated by gross anatomical dissection as ground truth, the authors have characterized these connections based on relationships to other well-known structures.METHODSDiffusion imaging from the Human Connectome Project for 10 healthy adult controls was used for tractography analysis. The OFC was evaluated as a whole based on connectivity with other regions. All OFC tracts were mapped in both hemispheres, and a lateralization index was calculated with resultant tract volumes. Ten postmortem dissections were then performed using a modified Klingler technique to demonstrate the location of major tracts.RESULTSThe authors identified 3 major connections of the OFC: a bundle to the thalamus and anterior cingulate gyrus, passing inferior to the caudate and medial to the vertical fibers of the thalamic projections; a bundle to the brainstem, traveling lateral to the caudate and medial to the internal capsule; and radiations to the parietal and occipital lobes traveling with the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus.CONCLUSIONSThe OFC is an important center for processing visual, spatial, and emotional information. Subtle differences in executive functioning following surgery for frontal lobe tumors may be better understood in the context of the fiber-bundle anatomy highlighted by this study.

Background.The medial forebrain bundle (MFB) is an important pathway of the reward system. Two branches have been described using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based tractography: the infero-medial MFB (imMFB) and the supero-lateral MFB (slMFB). Previous studies point to white-matter microstructural alterations of the slMFB in major depressive disorder (MDD) during acute episodes. To extend this finding, this study investigates whether white-matter microstructure is also altered in MDD patients that are in remission. Further, we explore associations between diffusion MRI-based metrics of white-matter microstructure of imMFB, slMFB and hedonic tone, the ability to derive pleasure.Method.Eighteen remitted depressed (RD) and 22 never depressed (ND) participants underwent high angular resolution diffusion-weighted imaging (HARDI) scans. To reconstruct the two pathways of the MFB (imMFB and slMFB) we used the damped Richardson–Lucy (dRL) algorithm. Mean fractional anisotropy (FA) was sampled along the tracts.Results.Mean FA of imMFB, slMFB and a comparison tract (the middle cerebellar peduncle) did not differ between ND and RD participants. Hedonic capacity correlated negatively with mean FA of the left slMFB, explaining 21% of the variance.Conclusions.Diffusion MRI-based metrics of white-matter microstructure of the MFB in RD do not differ from ND. Hedonic capacity is associated with altered white-matter microstructure of the slMFB.

Abstract BACKGROUND The superior parietal lobule (SPL) is involved in somatosensory and visuospatial integration with additional roles in attention, written language, and working memory. A detailed understanding of the exact location and nature of associated white matter tracts could improve surgical decisions and subsequent postoperative morbidity related to surgery in and around this gyrus. OBJECTIVE To characterize the fiber tracts of the SPL based on relationships to other well-known neuroanatomic structures through diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI)-based fiber tracking validated by gross anatomical dissection as ground truth. METHODS Neuroimaging data of 10 healthy, adult control subjects was obtained from a publicly accessible database published in Human Connectome Project for subsequent tractographic analyses. White matter tracts were mapped between both cerebral hemispheres, and a lateralization index was calculated based on resultant tract volumes. Post-mortem dissections of 10 cadavers identified the location of major tracts and validated our tractography results based on qualitative visual agreement. RESULTS We identified 9 major connections of the SPL: U-fiber, superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, middle longitudinal fasciculus, extreme capsule, vertical occipital fasciculus, cingulum, and corpus callosum. There was no significant fiber lateralization detected. CONCLUSION The SPL is an important region implicated in a variety of tasks involving visuomotor and visuospatial integration. Improved understanding of the fiber bundle anatomy elucidated in this study can provide invaluable information for surgical treatment decisions related to this region.

L'étude de la substance blanche superficielle (SBS) a souvent été laissée de côté car elle est difficile à accéder et très variable. Des méthodes d'acquisition de meilleure qualité et le développement de nouveaux outils d'analyse ont facilité son étude à partir de l'IRM de diffusion et la tractographie. La connectivité du cortex et son plissement sont fortement liés, en particulier pour les fibres en U qui contournent les sillons. Comme la morphologie des motifs du plissement est spécifique à chaque être humain, la configuration des fibres sous-jacentes devrait l'être aussi. Un pipeline pour démêler les différentes configurations des connexions de la SBS et pour caractériser leur relation avec d'autres structures a été conçu. Une méthode pour définir les faisceaux courts à partir de tractographies a d’abord été élaborée selon une approche hybride, en extrayant les fibres reliant deux régions d'intérêt puis en les regroupant en faisceaux reproductibles d'un sujet à l'autre. Une transformation affine fondée sur l’IRM T1 et une base de données de tractographie déterministe ont été utilisées. Cela a permis de générer un atlas des faisceaux du cerveau entier, utilisé pour segmenter les faisceaux de nouveaux sujets, afin de réaliser des études cliniques sur des connexions spécifiques. Cet atlas a été comparé à deux autres atlas publics afin d'évaluer la reproductibilité des faisceaux. Un grand nombre de faisceaux ont été trouvé similaires entre les trois atlas. La définition des faisceaux de la SBS n’étant pas encore consensuelle, une sur-segmentation peut être néanmoins observée d’un atlas à l’autre. Cependant, une plus grande granularité que celle de ces atlas est souhaitable pour étudier la variabilité de leurs configurations entre les individus. Le niveau de démêlage escompté a été obtenu en utilisant une ISOMAP, un algorithme de réduction de dimension, pour stratifier la population en fonction de la géométrie des fibres locales avant la définition des faisceaux. Pour chaque région étudiée, les fibres contournant un sulcus spécifique ont été ciblées et des ROI ont été sélectionnées en conséquence. Ces régions correspondent aux sillons central, temporal supérieur, cingulaire et au gyrus précentral. La méthode a été appliquée sur les données de tractographie probabiliste de 816/897 sujets de la base HCP. Pour chaque région, les fibres ont été extraites puis utilisées dans le calcul de l’ISOMAP, qui à son tour a été utilisé pour diviser la population en dix groupes. Dans chaque groupe, la méthode d'identification des faisceaux courts a été appliquée, afin d'obtenir des faisceaux reproductibles. Ceux-ci ont ensuite été automatiquement mis en correspondance avec ceux des autres groupes, sur la base d'une distance entre centroïdes. Un principe d'hystérésis a été utilisé pour récupérer certains faisceaux précédemment rejetés. Afin d'identifier les faisceaux à l'origine des différences reflétées par les dimensions de l'ISOMAP, une distance «faisceau à tractogramme» pour chaque paire de sujets a été corrélée à leur position dans l’ISOMAP. Une corrélation élevée a été observée entre les premières dimensions de l’ISOMAP fondée sur les fibres et de celle fondée sur la morphologie des sillons. Les faisceaux contribuant à cette dimension de l’ISOMAP montrent des transitions morphologiques cohérentes, et sont situés dans des zones où le sillon présente également des transitions de forme. De plus, les changements des faisceaux sont également spatialement corrélés aux changements des activations fonctionnelles. Ces résultats prouvent le lien entre le câblage cérébral et le plissement cortical. De plus, ils montrent qu'une délimitation plus fine des faisceaux permet de voir des différences qui, la plupart du temps, sont brouillées en raison du mélange des configurations
The study of superficial white matter (SWM) has often been left aside, mainly because of its high variability. Higher quality acquisition methods and the development of new analysis tools have facilitated the study of SWM from diffusion MRI and tractography. Brain connectivity and cortical folding pattern must be strongly related, especially for short U-fibers, which circumvent the folds. As the folding patterns morphology is specific to each human being, so should be the underlying fibers configuration. In this work we created a pipeline to disentangle the short white matter connections into their different configurations and to characterize their relation with other structures.First a method to delineate short bundles from a tractography set was built using a hybrid approach, by extracting fibers connecting two cortical regions of interest (ROIs) (incorporating anatomical information) and then clustering them into bundles (considering their shape), reproducible across subjects. Subjects were aligned by a T1-based affine transformation and a deterministic tractography database (79 subjects) was used. This generated a whole brain streamline bundle atlas, which allows distance-based segmentation of the bundles in new subjects, in order to perform clinical studies over specific connections. The bundles obtained were compared against other two publicly available atlases (using alternative non-linear alignment across subjects), to evaluate their reproducibility given different methods and databases. A non-negligible number of bundles were found similar among the three atlases. As SWM bundle definition is still a subjective matter, over-segmentation can nevertheless occur. However, even greater granularity is required when aiming to classify the different bundle configurations. This level of disentanglement was achieved by an ISOMAP dimensionality reduction algorithm. It aimed to stratify the population based on their fibers using geometrical changes across subjects. For each region under study, the fibers surrounding a specific sulcus were targeted and therefore the ROIs were selected accordingly. These regions are: central sulcus, superior temporal sulcus, cingulate sulcus and precentral gyrus. The method was applied over 816/897 subjects of the S900 release of the HCP database and a preprocessed probabilistic tractography database. For each region the fibers were extracted, sampled and then used in the ISOMAP computation, which in turn was employed to split the population in ten groups. In each group a refined version of a short bundle identification method was applied, in order to obtain reproducible bundles. These were then automatically matched with their corresponding ones in the other groups, based on a centroid fiber distance. A Hysteresis principle was used to recover missing bundles (previously discarded) in each group. In order to identify the bundles driving the differences reflected on each ISOMAP dimension, the correlation of the fibers geometry with the subjects ISOMAP values was performed, by using a “bundle to tractogram” distance for each pair of subjects. The fiber-based ISOMAP values were also compared to a sulcus-based ones, obtaining a high correlation for the first dimension. The bundles showing correlation with the ISOMAP values show coherent morphological transitions along the groups, and are located in areas where the sulcus also exhibits differences in shape. Moreover, the bundles are also spatially correlated to changes in functional activations. These results prove the link between the brain wiring and the cortical folding pattern. Moreover, they evidence that a finer delineation of the bundles allow the detection of differences that most of the time are blurred out due to the mixing of configurations