White matter biomarkers from diffusion MRI.

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Neuroimaging
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background:

• NMR diffusion signals are sensitive to tissue microstructure.
• NMR has potential for cellular-scale quantitative information in brain tissue.
• Joseph Ackerman's lab has made significant contributions to this field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances in NMR measurement of diffusion in biological media, particularly brain tissue.
• To provide a personal perspective on diffusion imaging techniques and biophysical modeling.
• To discuss future directions in the field.

Main Methods:

• Review of diffusion imaging techniques, including diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and microstructural modeling.
• Presentation of new results on estimation accuracy of axial and radial kurtosis in DKI.
• Discussion of generalized diffusion sequences for microstructural information.

Main Results:

• Diffusion imaging, combined with biophysical modeling, provides quantitative, cellular-scale information.
• Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) shows promise for probing tissue microstructure.
• New generalized diffusion sequences may offer independent microstructural insights.

Conclusions:

• Advances in NMR diffusion imaging offer unprecedented insights into brain tissue microstructure.
• DKI and advanced modeling techniques are crucial for understanding cellular-level changes.
• Further validation and exploration of novel sequences are needed for future applications.