Image correction for diffusion tensor imaging of Rhesus monkey thoracic spinal cord

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Primate Research
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Non-human primate (NHP) spinal cords present unique challenges for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) post-processing due to their small size.
• Accurate DTI analysis is crucial for understanding spinal cord injury (SCI) in preclinical models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a robust correction strategy for improving the quality of clinical DTI images of NHP spinal cords.
• To address the technical difficulties in post-processing DTI data from small NHP spinal cords.

Main Methods:

• Six rhesus monkeys (normal and with partial SCI) underwent 3T MR scanning.
• A DTI image post-processing strategy combining iterative correction and non-rigid deformation was applied.
• Quantitative evaluations assessed the impact of the distortion correction method.

Main Results:

• The correction strategy significantly reduced longitudinal geometric distortion, global distortion, and residual distance errors (P < 0.05).
• Fractional anisotropy values were significantly lower at the injured spinal cord site compared to contralateral and adjacent areas (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• The developed image correction strategy enhances DTI data quality in NHP thoracic spinal cords.
• This improved image quality is vital for advancing preclinical research in spinal cord injury (SCI).