Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Machine Learning for Biomarker Development

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allows the in vivo imaging of pathological white matter alterations, either with unbiased voxel-wise or hypothesis-guided tract-based analysis. Alterations of diffusion metrics are indicative of the cerebral status of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the individual level. Using machine learning (ML) models to analyze complex and high-dimensional neuroimaging data sets, new opportunities for DTI-based biomarkers in ALS arise. This review aims to summarize how different ML models based on DTI parameters can be used for supervised diagnostic classifications and to provide individualized patient stratification with unsupervised approaches in ALS. To capture the whole spectrum of neuropathological signatures, DTI might be combined with additional modalities, such as structural T1w 3-D MRI in ML models. To further improve the power of ML in ALS and enable the application of deep learning models, standardized DTI protocols and multi-center collaborations are needed to validate multimodal DTI biomarkers. The application of ML models to multiparametric MRI/multimodal DTI-based data sets will enable a detailed assessment of neuropathological signatures in patients with ALS and the development of novel neuroimaging biomarkers that could be used in the clinical workup.