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Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
Determination of axonal and dendritic orientation distributions within the developing cerebral cortex by diffusion
Sune Nørhøj Jespersen1, Lindsey A Leigland, Anda Cornea
1Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark. sune@cfin.au.dk
IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging
|July 20, 2011
Summary
Water diffusion anisotropy in the developing brain decreases as neurons mature. This study proposes a quantitative link between diffusion anisotropy and neuronal morphology, validated by MRI and Golgi staining in ferrets.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biophysics
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Neuronal morphological differentiation is crucial for developing brain circuits.
- Immature cerebral cortex shows restricted water diffusion parallel to the pial surface, causing diffusion anisotropy.
- Maturation of the cerebral cortex is associated with a loss of this water diffusion anisotropy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a quantitative relationship between water diffusion anisotropy and neuronal morphology.
- To incorporate local diffusion anisotropy and cellular process orientation into the model.
- To experimentally validate the proposed quantitative relationship.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure water diffusion.
- Rapid Golgi staining technique for neuronal visualization.
- Confocal microscopy to characterize 3D neuronal process orientation.
- Coregistration of MRI and Golgi data for quantitative evaluation.
Main Results:
- A quantitative relationship was established linking water diffusion anisotropy to neuronal morphology.
- Experimental data from ferret brain tissue supported the theoretical model.
- The results showed excellent agreement with theoretical predictions and published values.
Conclusions:
- Water diffusion anisotropy in the developing brain is directly related to neuronal morphology.
- The proposed quantitative model effectively describes this relationship.
- This study provides a method to quantitatively assess neuronal development using MRI and histological data.
