Diffusion Imaging in the Post HCP Era.

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Biophysics
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Diffusion imaging is crucial for understanding the human brain.
• Technical innovations are enhancing diffusion imaging data quality.
• The Human Connectome Project provides context for comparing diffusion imaging approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and compare diffusion imaging approaches in the context of the Human Connectome Project.
• To highlight anticipated gains from advanced technical capabilities.
• To discuss the role of new techniques in improving diffusion-weighted MRI.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of different diffusion imaging approaches relative to the Human Connectome Project.
• Discussion of high-performance gradients and ultrahigh magnetic fields.
• Review of transmit array designs for accelerated diffusion-weighted MRI acquisition.
• Examination of signal-encoding techniques and reconstruction/processing pipelines.

Main Results:

• Significant data quality improvements are expected from high-performance gradients, especially with ultrahigh magnetic fields.
• Advanced transmit array designs enable high acceleration in diffusion-weighted MRI with large FOV coverage.
• Established reconstruction and processing pipelines support deep learning applications for complex tissues.

Conclusions:

• Technical advances, including high-performance gradients and advanced coil designs, are poised to significantly improve diffusion imaging.
• These improvements are foundational for applying deep learning to analyze complex neuroanatomical information from diffusion-weighted MRI.
• The integration of these technologies will advance the understanding of the human brain.