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Liu Q, Gagoski B, Shaik IA, Westin CF, Wilde EA, Schneider W, Bilgic B, Grissom W, Nielsen JF, Zaitsev M, Rathi Y, Ning L. Time-division multiplexing (TDM) sequence removes bias in T 2 estimation and relaxation-diffusion measurements. Magn Reson Med 2024; 92:2506-2519. [PMID: 39136245 PMCID: PMC11436305 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.30246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 07/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE To compare the performance of multi-echo (ME) and time-division multiplexing (TDM) sequences for accelerated relaxation-diffusion MRI (rdMRI) acquisition and to examine their reliability in estimating accurate rdMRI microstructure measures. METHOD The ME, TDM, and the reference single-echo (SE) sequences with six TEs were implemented using Pulseq with single-band (SB) and multi-band 2 (MB2) acceleration factors. On a diffusion phantom, the image intensities of the three sequences were compared, and the differences were quantified using the normalized RMS error (NRMSE). Shinnar-Le Roux (SLR) pulses were implemented for the SB-ME and SB-SE sequences to investigate the impact of slice profiles on ME sequences. For the in-vivo brain scan, besides the image intensity comparison and T2-estimates, different methods were used to assess sequence-related effects on microstructure estimation, including the relaxation diffusion imaging moment (REDIM) and the maximum-entropy relaxation diffusion distribution (MaxEnt-RDD). RESULTS TDM performance was similar to the gold standard SE acquisition, whereas ME showed greater biases (3-4× larger NRMSEs for phantom, 2× for in-vivo). T2 values obtained from TDM closely matched SE, whereas ME sequences underestimated the T2 relaxation time. TDM provided similar diffusion and relaxation parameters as SE using REDIM, whereas SB-ME exhibited a 60% larger bias in the map and on average 3.5× larger bias in the covariance between relaxation-diffusion coefficients. CONCLUSION Our analysis demonstrates that TDM provides a more accurate estimation of relaxation-diffusion measurements while accelerating the acquisitions by a factor of 2 to 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Liu
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Borjan Gagoski
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging & Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Imam Ahmed Shaik
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Carl-Fredrik Westin
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Elisabeth A. Wilde
- Va Salt Lake City Health Care System, Informatics, Decision-Enhancement and Analytic Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | | | - Berkin Bilgic
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard/MIT Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - William Grissom
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Jon-Fredrik Nielsen
- Functional MRI Laboratory, Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Maxim Zaitsev
- Division of Medical Physics, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Yogesh Rathi
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Lipeng Ning
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Johansson J, Lagerstrand K, Björkman-Burtscher IM, Laesser M, Hebelka H, Maier SE. Normal Brain and Brain Tumor ADC: Changes Resulting From Variation of Diffusion Time and/or Echo Time in Pulsed-Gradient Spin Echo Diffusion Imaging. Invest Radiol 2024; 59:727-736. [PMID: 38587357 DOI: 10.1097/rli.0000000000001081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Increasing gradient performance on modern magnetic resonance imaging scanners has profoundly reduced the attainable diffusion and echo times for clinically available pulsed-gradient spin echo (PGSE) sequences. This study investigated how this may impact the measured apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), which is considered an important diagnostic marker for differentiation between normal and abnormal brain tissue and for therapeutic follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS Diffusion time and echo time dependence of the ADC were evaluated on a high-performance 3 T magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Diffusion PGSE brain scans were performed in 10 healthy volunteers and in 10 brain tumor patients using diffusion times of 16, 40, and 70 ms, echo times of 60, 75, and 104 ms at 3 b-values (0, 100, and 1000 s/mm 2 ), and a maximum gradient amplitude of 68 mT/m. A low gradient performance system was also emulated by reducing the diffusion encoding gradient amplitude to 19 mT/m. In healthy subjects, the ADC was measured in 6 deep gray matter regions and in 6 white matter regions. In patients, the ADC was measured in the solid part of the tumor. RESULTS With increasing diffusion time, a small but significant ADC increase of up to 2.5% was observed for 6 aggregate deep gray matter structures. With increasing echo time or reduced gradient performance, a small but significant ADC decrease of up to 2.6% was observed for 6 aggregate white matter structures. In tumors, diffusion time-related ADC changes were inconsistent without clear trend. For tumors with diffusivity above 1.0 μm 2 /ms, with prolonged echo time, there was a pronounced ADC increase of up to 12%. Meanwhile, for tumors with diffusivity at or below 1.0 μm 2 /ms, no change or a reduction was observed. Similar results were observed for gradient performance reduction, with an increase of up to 21%. The coefficient of variation determined in repeat experiments was 2.4%. CONCLUSIONS For PGSE and the explored parameter range, normal tissue ADC changes seem negligible. Meanwhile, observed tumor ADC changes can be relevant if ADC is used as a quantitative biomarker and not merely assessed by visual inspection. This highlights the importance of reporting all pertinent timing parameters in ADC studies and of considering these effects when building scan protocols for use in multicenter investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Johansson
- From the Department of Radiology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (J.J., I.M.B.-B., M.L., H.H., S.E.M.); Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (K.L.); Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Region Västra Götaland, Gothenburg, Sweden (J.J., K.L.); Department of Radiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Region Västra Götaland, Gothenburg, Sweden (I.M.B.-B., M.L., H.H.); and Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (S.E.M.)
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Kleban E, Jones DK, Tax CM. The impact of head orientation with respect to B 0 on diffusion tensor MRI measures. IMAGING NEUROSCIENCE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2023; 1:1-17. [PMID: 38405373 PMCID: PMC10884544 DOI: 10.1162/imag_a_00012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Diffusion tensor MRI (DT-MRI) remains the most commonly used approach to characterise white matter (WM) anisotropy. However, DT estimates may be affected by tissue orientation w.r.t. B → 0 due to local gradients and intrinsic T 2 orientation dependence induced by the microstructure. This work aimed to investigate whether and how diffusion tensor MRI-derived measures depend on the orientation of the head with respect to the static magnetic field, B → 0 . By simulating WM as two compartments, we demonstrated that compartmental T 2 anisotropy can induce the dependence of diffusion tensor measures on the angle between WM fibres and the magnetic field. In in vivo experiments, reduced radial diffusivity and increased axial diffusivity were observed in white matter fibres perpendicular to B → 0 compared to those parallel to B → 0 . Fractional anisotropy varied by up to 20 % as a function of the angle between WM fibres and the orientation of the main magnetic field. To conclude, fibre orientation w.r.t. B → 0 is responsible for up to 7 % variance in diffusion tensor measures across the whole brain white matter from all subjects and head orientations. Fibre orientation w.r.t. B → 0 may introduce additional variance in clinical research studies using diffusion tensor imaging, particularly when it is difficult to control for (e.g., fetal or neonatal imaging, or when the trajectories of fibres change due to, e.g., space occupying lesions).
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Kleban
- CUBRIC, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Derek K. Jones
- CUBRIC, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- MMIHR, Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Chantal M.W. Tax
- CUBRIC, School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Fan Q, Eichner C, Afzali M, Mueller L, Tax CMW, Davids M, Mahmutovic M, Keil B, Bilgic B, Setsompop K, Lee HH, Tian Q, Maffei C, Ramos-Llordén G, Nummenmaa A, Witzel T, Yendiki A, Song YQ, Huang CC, Lin CP, Weiskopf N, Anwander A, Jones DK, Rosen BR, Wald LL, Huang SY. Mapping the human connectome using diffusion MRI at 300 mT/m gradient strength: Methodological advances and scientific impact. Neuroimage 2022; 254:118958. [PMID: 35217204 PMCID: PMC9121330 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.118958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tremendous efforts have been made in the last decade to advance cutting-edge MRI technology in pursuit of mapping structural connectivity in the living human brain with unprecedented sensitivity and speed. The first Connectom 3T MRI scanner equipped with a 300 mT/m whole-body gradient system was installed at the Massachusetts General Hospital in 2011 and was specifically constructed as part of the Human Connectome Project. Since that time, numerous technological advances have been made to enable the broader use of the Connectom high gradient system for diffusion tractography and tissue microstructure studies and leverage its unique advantages and sensitivity to resolving macroscopic and microscopic structural information in neural tissue for clinical and neuroscientific studies. The goal of this review article is to summarize the technical developments that have emerged in the last decade to support and promote large-scale and scientific studies of the human brain using the Connectom scanner. We provide a brief historical perspective on the development of Connectom gradient technology and the efforts that led to the installation of three other Connectom 3T MRI scanners worldwide - one in the United Kingdom in Cardiff, Wales, another in continental Europe in Leipzig, Germany, and the latest in Asia in Shanghai, China. We summarize the key developments in gradient hardware and image acquisition technology that have formed the backbone of Connectom-related research efforts, including the rich array of high-sensitivity receiver coils, pulse sequences, image artifact correction strategies and data preprocessing methods needed to optimize the quality of high-gradient strength diffusion MRI data for subsequent analyses. Finally, we review the scientific impact of the Connectom MRI scanner, including advances in diffusion tractography, tissue microstructural imaging, ex vivo validation, and clinical investigations that have been enabled by Connectom technology. We conclude with brief insights into the unique value of strong gradients for diffusion MRI and where the field is headed in the coming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyun Fan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cornelius Eichner
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Maryam Afzali
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK; Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Lars Mueller
- Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Chantal M W Tax
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK; Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Mathias Davids
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Mirsad Mahmutovic
- Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection (IMPS), TH-Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences (THM), Giessen, Germany
| | - Boris Keil
- Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection (IMPS), TH-Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences (THM), Giessen, Germany
| | - Berkin Bilgic
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kawin Setsompop
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hong-Hsi Lee
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Qiyuan Tian
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Chiara Maffei
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gabriel Ramos-Llordén
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aapo Nummenmaa
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Anastasia Yendiki
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yi-Qiao Song
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Chu-Chung Huang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (MOE & STCSM), Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Ching-Po Lin
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Nikolaus Weiskopf
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Felix Bloch Institute for Solid State Physics, Faculty of Physics and Earth Sciences, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alfred Anwander
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Derek K Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Bruce R Rosen
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lawrence L Wald
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Susie Y Huang
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Taoka T, Ito R, Nakamichi R, Kamagata K, Sakai M, Kawai H, Nakane T, Abe T, Ichikawa K, Kikuta J, Aoki S, Naganawa S. Reproducibility of diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) for evaluating interstitial fluid diffusivity and glymphatic function: CHanges in Alps index on Multiple conditiON acquIsition eXperiment (CHAMONIX) study. Jpn J Radiol 2022; 40:147-158. [PMID: 34390452 PMCID: PMC8803717 DOI: 10.1007/s11604-021-01187-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) method was developed to evaluate the brain's glymphatic function or interstitial fluid dynamics. This study aimed to evaluate the reproducibility of the DTI-ALPS method and the effect of modifications in the imaging method and data evaluation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seven healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. Image acquisition was performed for this test-retest study using a fixed imaging sequence and modified imaging methods which included the placement of region of interest (ROI), imaging plane, head position, averaging, number of motion-proving gradients, echo time (TE), and a different scanner. The ALPS-index values were evaluated for the change of conditions listed above. RESULTS This test-retest study by a fixed imaging sequence showed very high reproducibility (intraclass coefficient = 0.828) for the ALPS-index value. The bilateral ROI placement showed higher reproducibility. The number of averaging and the difference of the scanner did not influence the ALPS-index values. However, modification of the imaging plane and head position impaired reproducibility, and the number of motion-proving gradients affected the ALPS-index value. The ALPS-index values from 12-axis DTI and 3-axis diffusion-weighted image (DWI) showed good correlation (r = 0.86). Also, a shorter TE resulted in a larger value of the ALPS-index. CONCLUSION ALPS index was robust under the fixed imaging method even when different scanners were used. ALPS index was influenced by the imaging plane, the number of motion-proving gradient axes, and TE in the imaging sequence. These factors should be uniformed in the planning ALPS method studies. The possibility to develop a 3-axis DWI-ALPS method using three axes of the motion-proving gradient was also suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiaki Taoka
- Department of Innovative Biomedical Visualization (iBMV), Nagoya University, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan.
- Department of Radiology, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
| | - Rintaro Ito
- Department of Innovative Biomedical Visualization (iBMV), Nagoya University, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
- Department of Radiology, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Rei Nakamichi
- Department of Radiology, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Koji Kamagata
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mayuko Sakai
- Canon Medical Systems Corporation, Otawara, Japan
| | - Hisashi Kawai
- Department of Radiology, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Japan
| | - Toshiki Nakane
- Department of Radiology, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Takashi Abe
- Department of Radiology, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Kazushige Ichikawa
- Department of Radiological Technology, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Junko Kikuta
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shigeki Aoki
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinji Naganawa
- Department of Radiology, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
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Nonparametric D-R 1-R 2 distribution MRI of the living human brain. Neuroimage 2021; 245:118753. [PMID: 34852278 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Diffusion-relaxation correlation NMR can simultaneously characterize both the microstructure and the local chemical composition of complex samples that contain multiple populations of water. Recent developments on tensor-valued diffusion encoding and Monte Carlo inversion algorithms have made it possible to transfer diffusion-relaxation correlation NMR from small-bore scanners to clinical MRI systems. Initial studies on clinical MRI systems employed 5D D-R1 and D-R2 correlation to characterize healthy brain in vivo. However, these methods are subject to an inherent bias that originates from not including R2 or R1 in the analysis, respectively. This drawback can be remedied by extending the concept to 6D D-R1-R2 correlation. In this work, we present a sparse acquisition protocol that records all data necessary for in vivo 6D D-R1-R2 correlation MRI across 633 individual measurements within 25 min-a time frame comparable to previous lower-dimensional acquisition protocols. The data were processed with a Monte Carlo inversion algorithm to obtain nonparametric 6D D-R1-R2 distributions. We validated the reproducibility of the method in repeated measurements of healthy volunteers. For a post-therapy glioblastoma case featuring cysts, edema, and partially necrotic remains of tumor, we present representative single-voxel 6D distributions, parameter maps, and artificial contrasts over a wide range of diffusion-, R1-, and R2-weightings based on the rich information contained in the D-R1-R2 distributions.
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Diffusion in Sephadex Gel Structures: Time Dependency Revealed by Multi-Sequence Acquisition over a Broad Diffusion Time Range. MATHEMATICS 2021; 9. [PMID: 34386373 PMCID: PMC8356480 DOI: 10.3390/math9141688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
It has been increasingly reported that in biological tissues diffusion-weighted MRI signal attenuation deviates from mono-exponential decay, especially at high b-values. A number of diffusion models have been proposed to characterize this non-Gaussian diffusion behavior. One of these models is the continuous-time random-walk (CTRW) model, which introduces two new parameters: a fractional order time derivative α and a fractional order spatial derivative β. These new parameters have been linked to intravoxel diffusion heterogeneities in time and space, respectively, and are believed to depend on diffusion times. Studies on this time dependency are limited, largely because the diffusion time cannot vary over a board range in a conventional spin-echo echo-planar imaging sequence due to the accompanying T2 decays. In this study, we investigated the time-dependency of the CTRW model in Sephadex gel phantoms across a broad diffusion time range by employing oscillating-gradient spin-echo, pulsed-gradient spin-echo, and pulsed-gradient stimulated echo sequences. We also performed Monte Carlo simulations to help understand our experimental results. It was observed that the diffusion process fell into the Gaussian regime at extremely short diffusion times whereas it exhibited a strong time dependency in the CTRW parameters at longer diffusion times.
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Zhou Z, Tong Q, Zhang L, Ding Q, Lu H, Jonkman LE, Yao J, He H, Zhu K, Zhong J. Evaluation of the diffusion MRI white matter tract integrity model using myelin histology and Monte-Carlo simulations. Neuroimage 2020; 223:117313. [PMID: 32882384 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantitative evaluation of brain myelination has drawn considerable attention. Conventional diffusion-based magnetic resonance imaging models, including diffusion tensor imaging and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI),1 have been used to infer the microstructure and its changes in neurological diseases. White matter tract integrity (WMTI) was proposed as a biophysical model to relate the DKI-derived metrics to the underlying microstructure. Although the model has been validated on ex vivo animal brains, it was not well evaluated with ex vivo human brains. In this study, histological samples (namely corpus callosum) from postmortem human brains have been investigated based on WMTI analyses on a clinical 3T scanner and comparisons with gold standard myelin staining in proteolipid protein and Luxol fast blue. In addition, Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to link changes from ex vivo to in vivo conditions based on the microscale parameters of water diffusivity and permeability. The results show that WMTI metrics, including axonal water fraction AWF, radial extra-axonal diffusivity De⊥, and intra-axonal diffusivity Dawere needed to characterize myelin content alterations. Thus, WMTI model metrics are shown to be promising candidates as sensitive biomarkers of demyelination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihan Zhou
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Zhouyiqing Building, Room 314, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Qiqi Tong
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Zhouyiqing Building, Room 314, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- China Brain Bank and Department of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, and Department of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Department of Pathology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Qiuping Ding
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Zhouyiqing Building, Room 314, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Hui Lu
- China Brain Bank and Department of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, and Department of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Laura E Jonkman
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc, the Netherlands
| | - Junye Yao
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Zhouyiqing Building, Room 314, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Hongjian He
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Zhouyiqing Building, Room 314, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou 310027, China.
| | - Keqing Zhu
- China Brain Bank and Department of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, and Department of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Department of Pathology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
| | - Jianhui Zhong
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Zhouyiqing Building, Room 314, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou 310027, China; Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester, United States
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Kamiya K, Hori M, Aoki S. NODDI in clinical research. J Neurosci Methods 2020; 346:108908. [PMID: 32814118 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Revised: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Diffusion MRI (dMRI) has proven to be a useful imaging approach for both clinical diagnosis and research investigating the microstructures of nervous tissues, and it has helped us to better understand the neurophysiological mechanisms of many diseases. Though diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has long been the default tool to analyze dMRI data in clinical research, acquisition with stronger diffusion weightings beyond the DTI regimen is now possible with modern clinical scanners, potentially enabling even more detailed characterization of tissue microstructures. To take advantage of such data, neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) has been proposed as a way to relate the dMRI signal to tissue features via biophysically inspired modeling. The number of reports demonstrating the potential clinical utility of NODDI is rapidly increasing. At the same time, the pitfalls and limitations of NODDI, and general challenges in microstructure modeling, are becoming increasingly recognized by clinicians. dMRI microstructure modeling is a rapidly evolving field with great promise, where people from different scientific backgrounds, such as physics, medicine, biology, neuroscience, and statistics, are collaborating to build novel tools that contribute to improving human healthcare. Here, we review the applications of NODDI in clinical research and discuss future perspectives for investigations toward the implementation of dMRI microstructure imaging in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kouhei Kamiya
- Department of Radiology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Radiology, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Radiology, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Masaaki Hori
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Radiology, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shigeki Aoki
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan
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Gong T, Tong Q, He H, Sun Y, Zhong J, Zhang H. MTE-NODDI: Multi-TE NODDI for disentangling non-T2-weighted signal fractions from compartment-specific T2 relaxation times. Neuroimage 2020; 217:116906. [PMID: 32387626 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) has become a popular diffusion MRI technique for investigating microstructural alternations during brain development, maturation and aging in health and disease. However, the NODDI model of diffusion does not explicitly account for compartment-specific T2 relaxation and its model parameters are usually estimated from data acquired with a single echo time (TE). Thus, the NODDI-derived measures, such as the intra-neurite signal fraction, also known as the neurite density index, could be T2-weighted and TE-dependent. This may confound the interpretation of studies as one cannot disentangle differences in diffusion from those in T2 relaxation. To address this challenge, we propose a multi-TE NODDI (MTE-NODDI) technique, inspired by recent studies exploiting the synergy between diffusion and T2 relaxation. MTE-NODDI could give robust estimates of the non-T2-weighted signal fractions and compartment-specific T2 values, as demonstrated by both simulation and in vivo data experiments. Results showed that the estimated non-T2 weighted intra-neurite fraction and compartment-specific T2 values in white matter were consistent with previous studies. The T2-weighted intra-neurite fractions from the original NODDI were found to be overestimated compared to their non-T2-weighted estimates; the overestimation increases with TE, consistent with the reported intra-neurite T2 being larger than extra-neurite T2. Finally, the inclusion of the free water compartment reduces the estimation error in intra-neurite T2 in the presence of cerebrospinal fluid contamination. With the ability to disentangle non-T2-weighted signal fractions from compartment-specific T2 relaxation, MTE-NODDI could help improve the interpretability of future neuroimaging studies, especially those in brain development, maturation and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Gong
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Department of Computer Science & Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, UK
| | - Qiqi Tong
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hongjian He
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Yi Sun
- MR Collaboration, Siemens Healthcare, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianhui Zhong
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States.
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Computer Science & Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, UK
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11
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Tong Q, He H, Gong T, Li C, Liang P, Qian T, Sun Y, Ding Q, Li K, Zhong J. Reproducibility of multi-shell diffusion tractography on traveling subjects: A multicenter study prospective. Magn Reson Imaging 2019; 59:1-9. [PMID: 30797888 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2019.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2018] [Revised: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Reproducibility of multicenter diffusion magnetic resonance imaging has drawn more attention recently due to rapidly increasing need for large-size brain imaging studies. Advanced multi-shell diffusion models are recommended for their potentials to provide variety of physio-pathological information. While previous studies have investigated the consistency of single-shell diffusion acquisition from various hardware and protocols, a well-controlled study with multi-shell acquisition would be necessary to understand the inherent factors of reproducibility from new complexity of such acquisition protocol. In this study, three traveling subjects were scanned at eight imaging centers equipped with the same type of scanners using the same multi-shell diffusion imaging protocol. Track density imaging and structure connectomes were investigated in local-scale distribution and in distal-scale connectivity, respectively. With evaluations of the coefficient of variation and the intra-class correlation coefficient, our results indicated: 1) similar to single-shell schemes, the intra-center reproducibility of multi-shell is higher than inter-center; 2) multi-shell schemes produce higher reproducibility and precision among centers compared to the single-shell schemes; and 3) in addition to the diffusion schemes, image quality and the presence of complex fiber structure could also associated with multicenter reproducibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiqi Tong
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Hongjian He
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Ting Gong
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Chen Li
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Peipeng Liang
- School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Brain Informatics, Beijing, China.
| | - Tianyi Qian
- MR Collaboration NE Asia, Siemens Healthcare, Beijing, China.
| | - Yi Sun
- MR Collaboration NE Asia, Siemens Healthcare, Shanghai, China.
| | - Qiuping Ding
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Kuncheng Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Brain Informatics, Beijing, China; Department of Radiology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
| | - Jianhui Zhong
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
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Zhang C, Ding Q, He H, Peng Y, Li C, Mai J, Li JS, Zhong J, Chang MW. Nanoporous hollow fibers as a phantom material for the validation of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging. J Appl Polym Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/app.47617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chunchen Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Education Ministry of China; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardio-Cerebral Vascular Detection Technology and Medicinal Effectiveness Appraisal; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
| | - Qiuping Ding
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Education Ministry of China; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
| | - Hongjian He
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Education Ministry of China; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Peng
- College of Civil Engineering and Architecture; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
| | - Chen Li
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Education Ministry of China; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
| | - John Mai
- Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering; University of Southern California; California Los Angeles 90089
| | - Jing-Song Li
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Education Ministry of China; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
| | - Jianhui Zhong
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Education Ministry of China; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumental Science; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
| | - Ming-Wei Chang
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Education Ministry of China; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardio-Cerebral Vascular Detection Technology and Medicinal Effectiveness Appraisal; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310027 People's Republic of China
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Rensonnet G, Scherrer B, Girard G, Jankovski A, Warfield SK, Macq B, Thiran JP, Taquet M. Towards microstructure fingerprinting: Estimation of tissue properties from a dictionary of Monte Carlo diffusion MRI simulations. Neuroimage 2019; 184:964-980. [PMID: 30282007 PMCID: PMC6230496 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.09.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Revised: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many closed-form analytical models have been proposed to relate the diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) signal to microstructural features of white matter tissues. These models generally make assumptions about the tissue and the diffusion processes which often depart from the biophysical reality, limiting their reliability and interpretability in practice. Monte Carlo simulations of the random walk of water molecules are widely recognized to provide near groundtruth for DW-MRI signals. However, they have mostly been limited to the validation of simpler models rather than used for the estimation of microstructural properties. This work proposes a general framework which leverages Monte Carlo simulations for the estimation of physically interpretable microstructural parameters, both in single and in crossing fascicles of axons. Monte Carlo simulations of DW-MRI signals, or fingerprints, are pre-computed for a large collection of microstructural configurations. At every voxel, the microstructural parameters are estimated by optimizing a sparse combination of these fingerprints. Extensive synthetic experiments showed that our approach achieves accurate and robust estimates in the presence of noise and uncertainties over fixed or input parameters. In an in vivo rat model of spinal cord injury, our approach provided microstructural parameters that showed better correspondence with histology than five closed-form models of the diffusion signal: MMWMD, NODDI, DIAMOND, WMTI and MAPL. On whole-brain in vivo data from the human connectome project (HCP), our method exhibited spatial distributions of apparent axonal radius and axonal density indices in keeping with ex vivo studies. This work paves the way for microstructure fingerprinting with Monte Carlo simulations used directly at the modeling stage and not only as a validation tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaëtan Rensonnet
- ICTEAM Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Signal Processing Lab (LTS5), École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Benoît Scherrer
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gabriel Girard
- Signal Processing Lab (LTS5), École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Aleksandar Jankovski
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Department of Neurosurgery, Centre hospitalier universitaire Dinant Godinne, Université catholique de Louvain, Namur, Belgium
| | - Simon K Warfield
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Benoît Macq
- ICTEAM Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Jean-Philippe Thiran
- Signal Processing Lab (LTS5), École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Radiology Department, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Maxime Taquet
- ICTEAM Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Computational Radiology Laboratory, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Fieremans E, Lee HH. Physical and numerical phantoms for the validation of brain microstructural MRI: A cookbook. Neuroimage 2018; 182:39-61. [PMID: 29920376 PMCID: PMC6175674 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.06.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2017] [Revised: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Phantoms, both numerical (software) and physical (hardware), can serve as a gold standard for the validation of MRI methods probing the brain microstructure. This review aims to provide guidelines on how to build, implement, or choose the right phantom for a particular application, along with an overview of the current state-of-the-art of phantoms dedicated to study brain microstructure with MRI. For physical phantoms, we discuss the essential requirements and relevant characteristics of both the (NMR visible) liquid and (NMR invisible) phantom materials that induce relevant microstructural features detectable via MRI, based on diffusion, intra-voxel incoherent motion, magnetization transfer or magnetic susceptibility weighted contrast. In particular, for diffusion MRI, many useful phantoms have been proposed, ranging from simple liquids to advanced biomimetic phantoms consisting of hollow or plain microfibers and capillaries. For numerical phantoms, the focus is on Monte Carlo simulations of random walk, for which the basic principles, along with useful criteria to check and potential pitfalls are reviewed, in addition to a literature overview highlighting recent advances. While many phantoms exist already, the current review aims to stimulate further research in the field and to address remaining needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Els Fieremans
- Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Hong-Hsi Lee
- Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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15
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Kamiya K, Okada N, Sawada K, Watanabe Y, Irie R, Hanaoka S, Suzuki Y, Koike S, Mori H, Kunimatsu A, Hori M, Aoki S, Kasai K, Abe O. Diffusional kurtosis imaging and white matter microstructure modeling in a clinical study of major depressive disorder. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2018; 31:e3938. [PMID: 29846988 PMCID: PMC6032871 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2017] [Revised: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a globally prevalent psychiatric disorder that results from disruption of multiple neural circuits involved in emotional regulation. Although previous studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) found smaller values of fractional anisotropy (FA) in the white matter, predominantly in the frontal lobe, of patients with MDD, studies using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) are scarce. Here, we used DKI whole-brain analysis with tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) to investigate the brain microstructural abnormalities in MDD. Twenty-six patients with MDD and 42 age- and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled. To investigate the microstructural pathology underlying the observations in DKI, a compartment model analysis was conducted focusing on the corpus callosum. In TBSS, the patients with MDD showed significantly smaller values of FA in the genu and frontal portion of the body of the corpus callosum. The patients also had smaller values of mean kurtosis (MK) and radial kurtosis (RK), but MK and RK abnormalities were distributed more widely compared with FA, predominantly in the frontal lobe but also in the parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes. Within the callosum, the regions with smaller MK and RK were located more posteriorly than the region with smaller FA. Model analysis suggested significantly smaller values of intra-neurite signal fraction in the body of the callosum and greater fiber dispersion in the genu, which were compatible with the existing literature of white matter pathology in MDD. Our results show that DKI is capable of demonstrating microstructural alterations in the brains of patients with MDD that cannot be fully depicted by conventional DTI. Though the issues of model validation and parameter estimation still remain, it is suggested that diffusion MRI combined with a biophysical model is a promising approach for investigation of the pathophysiology of MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kouhei Kamiya
- Department of RadiologyThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
- Department of RadiologyJuntendo University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | - Naohiro Okada
- Department of NeuropsychiatryThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
| | - Kingo Sawada
- Department of NeuropsychiatryThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
| | | | - Ryusuke Irie
- Department of RadiologyThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
- Department of RadiologyJuntendo University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | | | - Yuichi Suzuki
- Department of RadiologyThe University of Tokyo HospitalTokyoJapan
| | - Shinsuke Koike
- Department of NeuropsychiatryThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
| | - Harushi Mori
- Department of RadiologyThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
| | - Akira Kunimatsu
- Department of RadiologyIMSUT (The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo) HospitalTokyoJapan
| | - Masaaki Hori
- Department of RadiologyJuntendo University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | - Shigeki Aoki
- Department of RadiologyJuntendo University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | - Kiyoto Kasai
- Department of NeuropsychiatryThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
| | - Osamu Abe
- Department of RadiologyThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
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16
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Does MD. Inferring brain tissue composition and microstructure via MR relaxometry. Neuroimage 2018; 182:136-148. [PMID: 29305163 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.12.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2017] [Revised: 12/25/2017] [Accepted: 12/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
MRI relaxometry is sensitive to a variety of tissue characteristics in a complex manner, which makes it both attractive and challenging for characterizing tissue. This article reviews the most common water proton relaxometry measures, T1, T2, and T2*, and reports on their development and current potential to probe the composition and microstructure of brain tissue. The development of these relaxometry measures is challenged by the need for suitably accurate tissue models, as well as robust acquisition and analysis methodologies. MRI relaxometry has been established as a tool for characterizing neural tissue, particular with respect to myelination, and the potential for further development exists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D Does
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Electrical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
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17
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Yang G, Tian Q, Leuze C, Wintermark M, McNab JA. Double diffusion encoding MRI for the clinic. Magn Reson Med 2017; 80:507-520. [PMID: 29266375 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.27043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to develop double diffusion encoding (DDE) MRI methods for clinical use. Microscopic diffusion anisotropy measurements from DDE promise greater specificity to changes in tissue microstructure compared with conventional diffusion tensor imaging, but implementation of DDE sequences on whole-body MRI scanners is challenging because of the limited gradient strengths and lengthy acquisition times. METHODS A custom single-refocused DDE sequence was implemented on a 3T whole-body scanner. The DDE gradient orientation scheme and sequence parameters were optimized based on a Gaussian diffusion assumption. Using an optimized 5-min DDE acquisition, microscopic fractional anisotropy (μFA) maps were acquired for the first time in multiple sclerosis patients. RESULTS Based on simulations and in vivo human measurements, six parallel and six orthogonal diffusion gradient pairs were found to be the minimum number of diffusion gradient pairs necessary to produce a rotationally invariant measurement of μFA. Simulations showed that optimal precision and accuracy of μFA measurements were obtained using b-values between 1500 and 3000 s/mm2 . The μFA maps showed improved delineation of multiple sclerosis lesions compared with conventional fractional anisotropy and distinct contrast from T2 -weighted fluid attenuated inversion recovery and T1 -weighted imaging. CONCLUSION The μFA maps can be measured using DDE in a clinical setting and may provide new opportunities for characterizing multiple sclerosis lesions and other types of tissue degeneration. Magn Reson Med 80:507-520, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant Yang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.,Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Qiyuan Tian
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.,Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Christoph Leuze
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Max Wintermark
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Jennifer A McNab
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
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