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Advanced Diffusion Imaging in The Hippocampus of Rats with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: August 14, 2019
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A prospective microstructure imaging study in mixed-martial artists using geometric measures and diffusion tensor
Andrew R Mayer1,2,3, Josef M Ling4, Andrew B Dodd4
1The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, 87106, USA. amayer@mrn.org.
Brain Imaging and Behavior
|April 14, 2016
Summary
Novel diffusion MRI models reveal unique insights into brain microstructure after repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI). Geometric measures offer differential information compared to traditional DTI, aiding in understanding neurological damage mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Biophysics
- Radiology
Background:
- Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) is crucial for studying repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI).
- Limited research exists on relating novel geometric microstructure models to standard diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics.
- The sensitivity of various registration pipelines for detecting dMRI abnormalities in clinical populations remains under-evaluated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between novel geometric microstructure models and conventional DTI metrics in the context of rmTBI.
- To assess the sensitivity of different registration pipelines (non-linear, linear, tract-based spatial statistics) for detecting dMRI abnormalities.
- To characterize microstructural changes in the brain following rmTBI using advanced dMRI techniques.
Main Methods:
- Employed advanced dMRI techniques, including novel geometric models and standard DTI sequences.
- Utilized single-subject analyses in healthy controls to establish baseline relationships between metrics.
- Evaluated the performance of non-linear, linear, and tract-based spatial statistics registration pipelines.
- Analyzed brain imaging data from individuals with rmTBI.
Main Results:
- A strong negative correlation was observed between fractional anisotropy (FA) and orientation dispersion index (ODI) in both white and gray matter of healthy controls.
- Moderate relationships were found between free/intracellular water volume fractions and traditional DTI metrics (FA, mean, axial, radial diffusivity).
- Repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI) was associated with decreased FA, increased ODI, and elevated intracellular/free water fractions, suggesting edema.
Conclusions:
- Geometric diffusion models provide distinct information about cellular microstructure compared to traditional DTI measures.
- Non-linear registration pipelines demonstrate higher sensitivity in detecting dMRI abnormalities.
- Advanced dMRI geometric models hold potential for elucidating pathological mechanisms contributing to long-term neurological damage after rmTBI.
