Diffusion Weighted MRI

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 Diffusion Imaging

•In an isotropic medium (inside a glass of water for example) water

molecules naturally move according to Brownian motion.
•In biological tissues however the diffusion is very often anisotropic.
For example a molecule inside the axon of a neuron has a low
probability to cross a myelin membrane.
•Apply gradient in a given direction dark regions correspond to where
non Brownian motion has occured.
S. Maier and M. Kubicki
National Alliance for Medical Image Computing
http://na-mic.org
 Diffusion Tensors & Anisotropy

DTI allows researchers to quantify the diffusion of water in brain tissue

Diffusion for each image voxel is

described by 3 perpendicular vectors
l1
l1
l2

l2
l3
l3
Anisotropic diffusion
occurs when water
movement is restricted to Isotropic diffusion occurs when
one primary direction there is no restriction to water
(e.g., myelinated fibers) movement (e.g., ventricles, CSF)

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

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 Anisotropy

•Left: Conventional T2W image does not show white matter fiber tracts in the brain.
•Middle: Anisotropy map highlights the white matter bundles in the brain.
•Right: The z-map high intensity regions correspond to large out of plane diffusion.

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 Diffusivity & Fractional Anisotropy
Mean Diffusivity Fractional Anisotropy

l1+ l2 + l3 (l1- l 2)² + (l 2- l 3)² + (l1- l 3)²

FA=
3 2 l1² + l 2² + l 3²

Addition of eigenvalues Difference in eigenvalues

Overall diffusion Directional diffusion

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing
http://na-mic.org
 Interpreting Diffusivity and FA
Diffusivity and FA help determine the number, size and myelination of fibers,
whereas only FA gives information about directionality.
Number of fibers Myelination of fibers

High Diffusivity High FA High Diffusivity High FA

Low FA Low Diffusivity Low FA Low Diffusivity

Size of fibers Directionality of Fibers

High Diffusivity High FA Low FA High FA

Low FA Low Diffusivity Same Diffusivity Same Diffusivity

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 Fiber Tracking

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 Axonal Fibers
Whole-Brain
Using 3T
MR-DTI
Tractography

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

Hae-Jeong Park, Ph.D.
http://na-mic.org
 Fiber Clustering
Automated tools
separate fibers on the
basis of their shape and
projections

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 Fronto-temporal connections

inferior occipito-frontal
fasciculus (yellow)

uncinate
fasciculus
(blue)

IOCC rarely seen in the

literature (from Gray’s Anatomy)

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

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Other applications:
Neurosurgery, Brain Tumors

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 White matter fiber tracts and
Schizophrenia
• There are widespread gray matter
deficits reported in MRI structural
studies, but fewer reports of white
matter abnormalities.
• Functional abnormalities are reported in
different brain regions and different
systems using fMRI and PET.
• Several theories link schizophrenia with
disconnection between different brain
regions.
National Alliance for Medical Image Computing
http://na-mic.org
 Cingulum Bundle

• The most prominent

connection between
limbic structures.
• Consolidates
information by
interconnecting
thalamus, prefrontal,
parietal, temporal lobes
(including amygdala,
hippocampus and
parahippocampal gyrus)
with cingulate gyrus.

M. KubickiNational Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 Schizophrenia related symptoms most
frequently linked with cingulate dysfunction

• Thought disorder
• Disorganized
behavior
• Hallucinations
• Flattening of affect
• Delusions
• Lack of attention

M. KubickiNational Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 Anisotropy Analysis

Coronal sections of diffusion tensor maps show cingulate fasciculi (out of plane
diffusion component- coded in orange)(arrows), above the corpus callosum (in
plane component- coded in blue). Patient with schizophrenia on the left,
comparison subject on the right. Note the difference in area of the bundle.

M. KubickiNational Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 Relative anisotropy within
cingulate fasciculus
550
normal controls

schizophrenics
500

450
RA

400

350

300
right left

Diffusion anisotropy within the left cingulum bundle in schizophrenia group was 7.4 % lower than in normal
comparison subjects (mean of the percentage difference for all eight slices), while diffusion anisotropy on the
right side within the CB in schizophrenics was only 2 % lower than in normal comparisons.

M. KubickiNational Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 Fiber Tractography

H.J. Park National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 Fiber Clustering

H.J. Park National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 Fiber Tractography

H.J. Park National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 Research Challenges
• Diffusion Sequences and Image Resolution.
• Fiber Tractography.
• White Matter Segmentation.
• Statistical Analysis.
• Current Region Of Interests:
– Superior Temporal Gyrus.
– Uncinate Fasciculus.
– Cingulate Bundle.
– Arcuate Fasciculus.

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
 Coregistration of MRI and
DTMRI
+

no gradient DTI gray-aligned SPGR

STEP 1
Initial coarse registration done manually
with Slicer Alignment Module.

STEP 2
Automatic fine registration using
registration module, with Mutual
Information as the registration metric.

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

http://na-mic.org
Non Linear Registration Module

Alexandre Guimond, Lifeng Liu (CNI), Matthan Caan (LMI).

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing
http://na-mic.org
 Coregistration: Qualitative Evaluation.

Magenta: MRI (SPGR)

Green: DTMRI (T2
baseline)

National Alliance for Medical Image Computing

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Coregistration: Pilot Study Results
left right
gray white gray white
Case3 FA 0.264 0.360 0.254 0.402
AA 0.383 0.516 0.379 0.574
RA 0.158 0.223 0.151 0.251
ADC 0.817 0.771 0.839 0.763
Case45 FA 0.226 0.350 0.261 0.338
AA 0.339 0.467 0.399 0.448
RA 0.134 0.215 0.156 0.207
ADC 0.849 0.725 0.874 0.721
Case117 FA 0.258 0.375 0.242 0.374
AA 0.396 0.519 0.354 0.514
RA 0.154 0.232 0.144 0.232
ADC 0.850 0.743 0.820 0.737
Case0590 FA 0.238 0.346 0.221 0.354
AA 0.362 0.492 0.328 0.498
RA 0.141 0.212 0.131 0.218

Measurements:
FA: Fractional Anisotropy,
AA: Absolute Anisotropy,
RA: Relative Anisotropy,
ADC: Apparent Diffusion Coefficient.
Kang-Uk Lee
National Alliance for Medical Image Computing
http://na-mic.org