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Updated: Sep 1, 2025
Co-analysis of Brain Structure and Function using fMRI and Diffusion-weighted Imaging
Published on: November 8, 2012
Mapping the subcortical connectome using in vivo diffusion MRI: Feasibility and reliability.
Jason Kai1, Ali R Khan1, Roy Am Haast2
1Department of Medical Biophysics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
This study demonstrates the feasibility and reliability of using diffusion MRI tractography to map the subcortical connectome. Researchers successfully identified and validated known connections within the subcortex in vivo.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neuroanatomy
- Diffusion MRI
Background:
- Tractography with regions of interest (ROIs) is established for studying cortical connectivity.
- The subcortical connectome remains underexplored due to tractography challenges in compact regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility and reliability of mapping subcortical connections in vivo using tractography.
- To validate tractography-based subcortical connectome mapping with existing neuroanatomical data.
Main Methods:
- Utilized diffusion MRI tractography on Human Connectome Project (HCP) test-retest and separate subject datasets.
- Defined subcortical regions of interest (ROIs) and computed tract densities and spatial overlap.
- Validated reconstructed trajectories against established tract-tracing study findings.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the feasibility of in vivo tractography for mapping subcortical structural connectivity.
- Confirmed the reliability of the tractography approach for the subcortical connectome.
- Successfully identified known connections between basal ganglia and thalamic structures.
Conclusions:
- Tractography is a reliable method for in vivo mapping of the subcortical connectome.
- This approach provides a data-driven foundation for studying subcortical structural networks.
- Advances understanding of subcortical connectivity and its reliability.
