Group comparison of cortical fiber connectivity map: An application between post-stroke patients and healthy subjects

• Published in: Neuroscience Vol. 344; pp. 15 - 24
• Main Authors: Liu, Kai, Zhang, Teng, Chu, Winnie C.W., Mok, Vincent C.T., Wang, Defeng, Shi, Lin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 06.03.2017
• Subjects: Aged; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Connectome; cortex; Feasibility Studies; Female; fiber connectivity map; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Mental Status Schedule; Middle Aged; Neural Pathways - diagnostic imaging; Neurology; Reproducibility of Results; Severity of Illness Index; Stroke - diagnostic imaging; vertex-wise statistical analysis; vertex-wise statistical analysis; FFE; GLM; MNI; T1WI; dMRI; SC; MMSE; WM; FLAIR; connectome; VBM; cortex; FiCD; FCD; TBSS; fiber connectivity map; AFs; NINDS; 3D; CU; IIT; FWHM; Qdec; VLSM; FA; TIR; fast field echo; association fibers; functional connectivity density; General Linear Model; three-dimensional; tract-based spatial statistics; Illinois Institute of Technology; T1-weighted image; Fluid attenuation inversion recovery; fiber connectivity density; diffusion magnetic resonance imaging; white matter; structural connectivity; vertex-based morphometry; Mini-Mental Screening Examination; Query Design Estimate Contrast; cortical unit; turbo inversion recovery; Montreal Neurological Institute; vertex-based lesion-symptom mapping; fractional anisotropy; Neurological Disorders and Stroke; Full Width at Half Maximum
• ISSN: 0306-4522; 1873-7544; 1873-7544
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.12.026

•This study showed the feasibility of applying group comparison vertex-wise analysis for cortical structural connectivity.•A fiber connectivity density (FiCD) method based on connectome method was applied to measure whole-brain FiCD map.•Stroke and healthy participants were enrolled for the FiCD measurement and their FiCD maps were statistically compared.•There was a spatial consistency between the cortical clusters with low FiCD values and the subcortical lesions of patients.•The FiCD method possessed good reproducibility, and could accurately reflect the affected cortical regions in patients. Structural connectome measurement combined with diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tractography allows generation of a whole-brain connectome. However, current cortical structural connectivity (SC) measurements have not been well combined with the vertex-wise multi-subjects statistical analysis. The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of using group comparison vertex-wise analysis for cortical SC measurement. A fiber connectivity density (FiCD) method based on a combination of a diffusion fiber tracking technique and cortical surface-based analysis was used to measure the whole-brain cortical SC map (FiCD map). A public MRI dataset (GigaDB) was employed to evaluate the reproducibility of the FiCD method. For group comparison, 14 post-stroke patients (mean age, 68.36±7.33y) and 19 healthy participants (mean age, 66.84±8.58y) had FiCD measurement. The intergroup comparison of the FiCD map was performed using vertex-wise multi-subject statistical analysis. Reliability testing showed the mean intra- and inter-subject FiCD variability was 3.51±2.12% and 19.44±4.79%, respectively. The group comparison of the whole-brain FiCD identified cortical regions with altered FiCD values, and there was a spatial consistency between the cortical clusters with low FiCD values and the subcortical lesions of patients. This study demonstrated the feasibility of vertex-wise group comparison for evaluating cortical fiber connectivity density. The FiCD method has good intra- and inter-individual reproducibility, and accurately reflects the affected cortical regions in post-stroke patients. This method may be helpful for neuroscience research.