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Published on: July 5, 2021
Diffusion MRI in the brain - Theory and concepts
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, King's Health Partners, St. Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK; Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, King's Health Partners, St. Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK.
Abstract:
Over the past two decades, diffusion MRI has become an essential tool in neuroimaging investigations. This is due to its sensitivity to the motion of water molecules as they diffuse through the microstructural environment, allowing diffusion MRI to be used as a 'probe' of tissue microstructure. Furthermore, this sensitivity is strongly direction-dependent, notably in brain white matter, due to the alignment of structures that restrict or hinder the motion of water molecules, notably axonal membranes. This provides a means of inferring the orientation of fibres in vivo, and by use of appropriate fibre-tracking algorithms, of delineating the path of white matter tracts in the brain. The ability to perform so-called tractography in humans in vivo non-invasively is unique to diffusion MRI, and is now used in applications such as neurosurgery planning and more broadly within investigations of brain connectomics. This review describes the theory and concepts of diffusion MRI and describes its most important areas of application in the brain, with a strong focus on tractography.
Insights
Diffusion MRI uses water molecule movement to probe brain tissue microstructure. This technique enables non-invasive in vivo tractography for mapping white matter tracts and applications like surgical planning.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Biophysics
Background:
- Diffusion MRI is a key neuroimaging tool, sensitive to water diffusion in tissue microstructure.
- Its direction-dependent sensitivity in white matter arises from aligned structures like axonal membranes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the theory and concepts of diffusion MRI.
- To highlight key applications of diffusion MRI in the brain, focusing on tractography.
Main Methods:
- Review of diffusion MRI principles.
- Discussion of tractography algorithms and applications.
Main Results:
- Diffusion MRI provides insights into tissue microstructure.
- Enables in vivo, non-invasive mapping of white matter tracts via tractography.
Conclusions:
- Diffusion MRI is crucial for understanding brain microstructure and connectivity.
- Tractography is a unique and valuable application of diffusion MRI in neuroscience and clinical practice.
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