Development of a high angular resolution diffusion imaging human brain template

• Published in: NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Vol. 91; pp. 177 - 186
• Main Authors: Varentsova, Anna, Zhang, Shengwei, Arfanakis, Konstantinos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.05.2014; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Acquisitions & mergers; Adult; Age; Algorithms; Atlases as Topic; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain - anatomy & histology; Brain - cytology; Brain Mapping - methods; Brain Mapping - statistics & numerical data; Corpus Callosum - anatomy & histology; Databases, Factual; Diffusion; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Diffusion Tensor Imaging; Female; Fiber orientation distribution; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; HARDI; High angular resolution diffusion imaging; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Magnetic fields; Male; Nerve Fibers - physiology; Pyramidal Tracts - anatomy & histology; Reproducibility of Results; Statistical methods; Studies; Template; Turboprop; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Young Adult; Brain; Turboprop; HARDI; Fiber orientation distribution; High angular resolution diffusion imaging; Template; Human; Central nervous system; Orientation; Encephalon; Imaging; Distribution; Development
• ISSN: 1053-8119; 1095-9572
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.01.009

Brain diffusion templates contain rich information about the microstructure of the brain, and are used as references in spatial normalization or in the development of brain atlases. The accuracy of diffusion templates constructed based on the diffusion tensor (DT) model is limited in regions with complex neuronal micro-architecture. High angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) overcomes limitations of the DT model and is capable of resolving intravoxel heterogeneity. However, when HARDI is combined with multiple-shot sequences to minimize image artifacts, the scan time becomes inappropriate for human brain imaging. In this work, an artifact-free HARDI template of the human brain was developed from low angular resolution multiple-shot diffusion data. The resulting HARDI template was produced in ICBM-152 space based on Turboprop diffusion data, was shown to resolve complex neuronal micro-architecture in regions with intravoxel heterogeneity, and contained fiber orientation information consistent with known human brain anatomy. (A) Axial map of FODs in right frontal lobe white matter of the HARDI template, demonstrating fiber crossing and fanning. (B) The outline of the magnified region in (A) is overlaid on the corresponding FA-weighted orientation color map. [Display omitted] •An artifact-free HARDI template of the human brain was developed.•The HARDI template was produced in ICBM-152 space based on Turboprop diffusion data.•The HARDI template was shown to resolve complex neuronal micro-architecture.•Fiber orientation information in the template was consistent with known anatomy.