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Mueller C, Nenert R, Catiul C, Pilkington J, Szaflarski JP, Amara AW. Relationship between sleep, physical fitness, brain microstructure, and cognition in healthy older adults: A pilot study. Brain Res 2024; 1839:149016. [PMID: 38768934 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.149016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a critical need for neuroimaging markers of brain integrity to monitor effects of modifiable lifestyle factors on brain health. This observational, cross-sectional study assessed relationships between brain microstructure and sleep, physical fitness, and cognition in healthy older adults. METHODS Twenty-three adults aged 60 and older underwent whole-brain multi-shell diffusion imaging, comprehensive cognitive testing, polysomnography, and exercise testing. Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) was used to quantify neurite density (NDI) and orientation dispersion (ODI). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to quantify axial diffusivity (AxD), fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and radial diffusivity (RD). Relationships between sleep efficiency (SE), time and percent in N3 sleep, cognitive function, physical fitness (VO2 peak) and the diffusion metrics in regions of interest and the whole brain were evaluated. RESULTS Higher NDI in bilateral white and gray matter was associated with better executive functioning. NDI in the right anterior cingulate and adjacent white matter was positively associated with language skills. Higher NDI in the left posterior corona radiata was associated with faster processing speed. Physical fitness was positively associated with NDI in the left precentral gyrus and corticospinal tract. N3 % was positively associated with NDI in the left caudate and right pre- and postcentral gyri. Higher ODI in the left putamen and adjacent white matter was associated with better executive function. CONCLUSION NDI and ODI derived from NODDI are potential neuroimaging markers for associations between brain microstructure and modifiable risk factors in aging. If these associations are observable in clinical samples, NODDI could be incorporated into clinical trials assessing the effects of modifiable risk factors on brain integrity in aging and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Mueller
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Neurology, 1719 6(th) Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States.
| | - Rodolphe Nenert
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Neurology, 1719 6(th) Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States
| | - Corina Catiul
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Neurology, 1719 6(th) Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States
| | - Jennifer Pilkington
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Neurology, 1719 6(th) Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States
| | - Jerzy P Szaflarski
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Neurology, 1719 6(th) Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States
| | - Amy W Amara
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Neurology, 1719 6(th) Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States; University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 1635 Aurora Ct, Aurora, CO 80045, United States
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Ning K, Fan D, Liu Y, Sun Y, Liu Y, Lin Y. Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) reveals white matter microstructural changes in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome (OSAHS) patients with cognitive impairment. Magn Reson Imaging 2024; 114:110234. [PMID: 39288886 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2024.110234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2024] [Revised: 08/22/2024] [Accepted: 09/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/19/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aimed to assess changes in white matter microstructure among patients undergoing obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) complicated by cognitive impairment through neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), and evaluate the relationship to cognitive impairment as well as the diagnostic performance in early intervention. METHODS Totally 23 OSAHS patients, 43 OSAHS patients complicated by cognitive impairment, and 15 healthy controls were enrolled in OSA, OSACI and HC groups of this work. NODDI toolbox and FMRIB's Software Library (FSL) were used to calculate neurite density index (NDI), Fractional anisotropy (FA), volume fraction of isotropic water molecules (Viso), and orientation dispersion index (ODI). Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were carried out to examine the above metrics with one-way ANOVA. This study explored the correlations of the above metrics with mini-mental state examination (MMSE), and montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scores. Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted. Meanwhile, area under curve (AUC) values were calculated to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the above metrics. RESULTS NDI, ODI, Viso, and FA were significantly different among different brain white matter regions, among which, difference in NDI showed the greatest statistical significance. In comparison with HC group, OSA group had reduced NDI and ODI, whereas elevated Viso levels. Conversely, compared to the OSA group, the OSACI group displayed a slight increase in NDI and ODI values, which remained lower than HC group, viso values continued to rise. Post-hoc analysis highlighted significant differences in these metrics, except for FA, which showed no notable changes or correlations with neuropsychological tests. ROC analysis confirmed the diagnostic efficacy of NDI, ODI, and Viso with AUCs of 0.6908, 0.6626, and 0.6363, respectively, whereas FA's AUC of 0.5042, indicating insufficient diagnostic efficacy. CONCLUSIONS This study confirmed that NODDI effectively reveals microstructural changes in white matter of OSAHS patients with cognitive impairment, providing neuroimaging evidence for early clinical diagnosis and intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Ning
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Dechao Fan
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Yuzhu Liu
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Yubing Sun
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Yajie Liu
- Department of Radiology, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
| | - Yongzhong Lin
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
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Grouza V, Bagheri H, Liu H, Tuznik M, Wu Z, Robinson N, Siminovitch KA, Peterson AC, Rudko DA. Ultra-high-resolution mapping of myelin and g-ratio in a panel of Mbp enhancer-edited mouse strains using microstructural MRI. Neuroimage 2024; 300:120850. [PMID: 39260782 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2024] [Revised: 08/27/2024] [Accepted: 09/09/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Non-invasive myelin water fraction (MWF) and g-ratio mapping using microstructural MRI have the potential to offer critical insights into brain microstructure and our understanding of neuroplasticity and neuroinflammation. By leveraging a unique panel of variably hypomyelinating mouse strains, we validated a high-resolution, model-free image reconstruction method for whole-brain MWF mapping. Further, by employing a bipolar gradient echo MRI sequence, we achieved high spatial resolution and robust mapping of MWF and g-ratio across the whole mouse brain. Our regional white matter-tract specific analyses demonstrated a graded decrease in MWF in white matter tracts which correlated strongly with myelin basic protein gene (Mbp) mRNA levels. Using these measures, we derived the first sensitive calibrations between MWF and Mbp mRNA in the mouse. Minimal changes in axonal density supported our hypothesis that observed MWF alterations stem from hypomyelination. Overall, our work strongly emphasizes the potential of non-invasive, MRI-derived MWF and g-ratio modeling for both preclinical model validation and ultimately translation to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Grouza
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Hooman Bagheri
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Hanwen Liu
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marius Tuznik
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Zhe Wu
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nicole Robinson
- Histology Innovation Platform, Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Katherine A Siminovitch
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Mount Sinai Hospital, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum and Toronto General Hospital Research Institutes, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alan C Peterson
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - David A Rudko
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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Dong Z, Reese TG, Lee HH, Huang SY, Polimeni JR, Wald LL, Wang F. Romer-EPTI: rotating-view motion-robust super-resolution EPTI for SNR-efficient distortion-free in-vivo mesoscale dMRI and microstructure imaging. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.26.577343. [PMID: 38352481 PMCID: PMC10862730 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.26.577343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Purpose To overcome the major challenges in dMRI acquisition, including low SNR, distortion/blurring, and motion vulnerability. Methods A novel Romer-EPTI technique is developed to provide distortion-free dMRI with significant SNR gain, high motion-robustness, sharp spatial resolution, and simultaneous multi-TE imaging. It introduces a ROtating-view Motion-robust supEr-Resolution technique (Romer) combined with a distortion/blurring-free EPTI encoding. Romer enhances SNR by a simultaneous multi-thick-slice acquisition with rotating-view encoding, while providing high motion-robustness through a motion-aware super-resolution reconstruction, which also incorporates slice-profile and real-value diffusion, to resolve high-isotropic-resolution volumes. The in-plane encoding is performed using distortion/blurring-free EPTI, which further improves effective spatial resolution and motion robustness by preventing not only T2/T2*-blurring but also additional blurring resulting from combining encoded volumes with inconsistent geometries caused by dynamic distortions. Self-navigation was incorporated to enable efficient phase correction. Additional developments include strategies to address slab-boundary artifacts, achieve minimal TE for SNR gain at 7T, and achieve high robustness to strong phase variations at high b-values. Results Using Romer-EPTI, we demonstrate distortion-free whole-brain mesoscale in-vivo dMRI at both 3T (500-μm-iso) and 7T (485-μm-iso) for the first time, with high SNR efficiency (e.g., 25 × ), and high image quality free from distortion and slab-boundary artifacts with minimal blurring. Motion experiments demonstrate Romer-EPTI's high motion-robustness and ability to recover sharp images in the presence of motion. Romer-EPTI also demonstrates significant SNR gain and robustness in high b-value (b=5000s/mm2) and time-dependent dMRI. Conclusion Romer-EPTI significantly improves SNR, motion-robustness, and image quality, providing a highly efficient acquisition for high-resolution dMRI and microstructure imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijing Dong
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Timothy G. Reese
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hong-Hsi Lee
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Susie Y. Huang
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jonathan R. Polimeni
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lawrence L. Wald
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Fuyixue Wang
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Engel M, Mueller L, Döring A, Afzali M, Jones DK. Maximizing SNR per unit time in diffusion MRI with multiband T-Hex spirals. Magn Reson Med 2024; 91:1323-1336. [PMID: 38156527 PMCID: PMC10953427 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29953] [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: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The characterization of tissue microstructure using diffusion MRI (dMRI) signals is rapidly evolving, with increasing sophistication of signal representations and microstructure models. However, this progress often requires signals to be acquired with very high b-values (e.g., b > 30 ms/μm2 ), along many directions, and using multiple b-values, leading to long scan times and extremely low SNR in dMRI images. The purpose of this work is to boost the SNR efficiency of dMRI by combining three particularly efficient spatial encoding techniques and utilizing a high-performance gradient system (Gmax ≤ 300 mT/m) for efficient diffusion encoding. METHODS Spiral readouts, multiband imaging, and sampling on tilted hexagonal grids (T-Hex) are combined and implemented on a 3T MRI system with ultra-strong gradients. Image reconstruction is performed through an iterative cg-SENSE algorithm incorporating static off-resonance distributions and field dynamics as measured with an NMR field camera. Additionally, T-Hex multiband is combined with a more conventional EPI-readout and compared with state-of-the-art blipped-CAIPIRINHA sampling. The advantage of the proposed approach is furthermore investigated for clinically available gradient performance and diffusion kurtosis imaging. RESULTS High fidelity in vivo images with b-values up to 40 ms/μm2 are obtained. The approach provides superior SNR efficiency over other state-of-the-art multiband diffusion readout schemes. CONCLUSION The demonstrated gains hold promise for the widespread dissemination of advanced microstructural scans, especially in clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Engel
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)Cardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Lars Mueller
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)Cardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic MedicineUniversity of LeedsLeedsUK
| | - André Döring
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)Cardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Maryam Afzali
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)Cardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic MedicineUniversity of LeedsLeedsUK
| | - Derek K. Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)Cardiff UniversityCardiffUK
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Papazoglou S, Ashtarayeh M, Oeschger JM, Callaghan MF, Does MD, Mohammadi S. Insights and improvements in correspondence between axonal volume fraction measured with diffusion-weighted MRI and electron microscopy. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2024; 37:e5070. [PMID: 38098204 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.5070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Biophysical diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) models are increasingly used in neuroscience to estimate the axonal water fraction (f AW ), which in turn is key for noninvasive estimation of the axonal volume fraction (f A ). These models require thorough validation by comparison with a reference method, for example, electron microscopy (EM). While EM studies often neglect the unmyelinated axons and solely report the fraction of myelinated axons, in DWI both myelinated and unmyelinated axons contribute to the DWI signal. However, DWI models often include simplifications, for example, the neglect of differences in the compartmental relaxation times or fixed diffusivities, which in turn might affect the estimation off AW . We investigate whether linear calibration parameters (scaling and offset) can improve the comparability between EM- and DWI-based metrics off A . To this end, we (a) used six DWI models based on the so-called standard model of white matter (WM), including two models with fixed compartmental diffusivities (e.g., neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging, NODDI) and four models that fitted the compartmental diffusivities (e.g., white matter tract integrity, WMTI), and (b) used a multimodal data set including ex vivo diffusion DWI and EM data in mice with a broad dynamic range of fibre volume metrics. We demonstrated that the offset is associated with the volume fraction of unmyelinated axons and the scaling factor is associated with different compartmentalT 2 and can substantially enhance the comparability between EM- and DWI-based metrics off A . We found that DWI models that fitted compartmental diffusivities provided the most accurate estimates of the EM-basedf A . Finally, we introduced a more efficient hybrid calibration approach, where only the offset is estimated but the scaling is fixed to a theoretically predicted value. Using this approach, a similar one-to-one correspondence to EM was achieved for WMTI. The method presented can pave the way for use of validated DWI-based models in clinical research and neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Papazoglou
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Max Planck Research Group MR Physics, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mohammad Ashtarayeh
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Malte Oeschger
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martina F Callaghan
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Mark D Does
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Siawoosh Mohammadi
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Max Planck Research Group MR Physics, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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Wu Y, Liu X, Huang Y, Zhou T, Zhang F. An open relaxation-diffusion MRI dataset in neurosurgical studies. Sci Data 2024; 11:177. [PMID: 38326377 PMCID: PMC10850093 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03013-9] [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: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Diffusion MRI (dMRI) is a safe and noninvasive technique that provides insight into the microarchitecture of brain tissue. Relaxation-diffusion MRI (rdMRI) is an extension of traditional dMRI that captures diffusion imaging data at multiple TEs to detect tissue heterogeneity between relaxation and diffusivity. rdMRI has great potential in neurosurgical research including brain tumor grading and treatment response evaluation. However, the lack of available data has limited the exploration of rdMRI in clinical settings. To address this, we are sharing a high-quality rdMRI dataset from 18 neurosurgical patients with different types of lesions, as well as two healthy individuals as controls. The rdMRI data was acquired using 7 TEs, where at each TE multi-shell dMRI with high spatial and angular resolutions is obtained at each TE. Each rdMRI scan underwent thorough artifact and distortion corrections using a specially designed processing pipeline. The dataset's quality was assessed using standard practices, including quality control and assurance. This resource is a valuable addition to neurosurgical studies, and all data are openly accessible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Wu
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaoming Liu
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan, China.
| | - Yunzhi Huang
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
| | - Tao Zhou
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
| | - Fan Zhang
- School of Information and Communication Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
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Dong Z, Wald LL, Polimeni JR, Wang F. Single-shot Echo Planar Time-resolved Imaging for multi-echo functional MRI and distortion-free diffusion imaging. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.24.577002. [PMID: 38328081 PMCID: PMC10849706 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.24.577002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Purpose To develop EPTI, a multi-shot distortion-free multi-echo imaging technique, into a single-shot acquisition to achieve improved robustness to motion and physiological noise, increased temporal resolution, and high SNR efficiency for dynamic imaging applications. Methods A new spatiotemporal encoding was developed to achieve single-shot EPTI by enhancing spatiotemporal correlation in k-t space. The proposed single-shot encoding improves reconstruction conditioning and sampling efficiency, with additional optimization under various accelerations to achieve optimized performance. To achieve high SNR efficiency, continuous readout with minimized deadtime was employed that begins immediately after excitation and extends for an SNR-optimized length. Moreover, k-t partial Fourier and simultaneous multi-slice acquisition were integrated to further accelerate the acquisition and achieve high spatial and temporal resolution. Results We demonstrated that ss-EPTI achieves higher tSNR efficiency than multi-shot EPTI, and provides distortion-free imaging with densely-sampled multi-echo images at resolutions ~1.25-3 mm at 3T and 7T-with high SNR efficiency and with comparable temporal resolutions to ss-EPI. The ability of ss-EPTI to eliminate dynamic distortions common in EPI also further improves temporal stability. For fMRI, ss-EPTI also provides early-TE images (e.g., 2.9ms) to recover signal-intensity and functional-sensitivity dropout in challenging regions. The multi-echo images provide TE-dependent information about functional fluctuations, successfully distinguishing noise-components from BOLD signals and further improving tSNR. For diffusion MRI, ss-EPTI provides high-quality distortion-free diffusion images and multi-echo diffusion metrics. Conclusion ss-EPTI provides distortion-free imaging with high image quality, rich multi-echo information, and enhanced efficiency within comparable temporal resolution to ss-EPI, offering a robust and efficient acquisition for dynamic imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijing Dong
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lawrence L. Wald
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jonathan R. Polimeni
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Fuyixue Wang
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Burzynska AZ, Anderson C, Arciniegas DB, Calhoun V, Choi IY, Mendez Colmenares A, Kramer AF, Li K, Lee J, Lee P, Thomas ML. Correlates of axonal content in healthy adult span: Age, sex, myelin, and metabolic health. CEREBRAL CIRCULATION - COGNITION AND BEHAVIOR 2024; 6:100203. [PMID: 38292016 PMCID: PMC10827486 DOI: 10.1016/j.cccb.2024.100203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
As the emerging treatments that target grey matter pathology in Alzheimer's Disease have limited effectiveness, there is a critical need to identify new neural targets for treatments. White matter's (WM) metabolic vulnerability makes it a promising candidate for new interventions. This study examined the age and sex differences in estimates of axonal content, as well the associations of with highly prevalent modifiable health risk factors such as metabolic syndrome and adiposity. We estimated intra-axonal volume fraction (ICVF) using the Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) in a sample of 89 cognitively and neurologically healthy adults (20-79 years). We showed that ICVF correlated positively with age and estimates of myelin content. The ICVF was also lower in women than men, across all ages, which difference was accounted for by intracranial volume. Finally, we found no association of metabolic risk or adiposity scores with the current estimates of ICVF. In addition, the previously observed adiposity-myelin associations (Burzynska et al., 2023) were independent of ICVF. Although our findings confirm the vulnerability of axons to aging, they suggest that metabolic dysfunction may selectively affect myelin content, at least in cognitively and neurologically healthy adults with low metabolic risk, and when using the specific MRI techniques. Future studies need to revisit our findings using larger samples and different MRI approaches, and identify modifiable factors that accelerate axonal deterioration as well as mechanisms linking peripheral metabolism with the health of myelin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Z Burzynska
- The BRAiN lab, Department of Human Development and Family Studies/Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Neurosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Charles Anderson
- Department of Computer Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - David B. Arciniegas
- Marcus Institute for Brain Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Vince Calhoun
- Tri-institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS), Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Emory, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - In-Young Choi
- Department of Neurology, Department of Radiology, Hoglund Biomedical Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Andrea Mendez Colmenares
- The BRAiN lab, Department of Human Development and Family Studies/Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Neurosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Arthur F Kramer
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, IL, USA
- Center for Cognitive & Brain Health, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kaigang Li
- Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Jongho Lee
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Phil Lee
- Department of Radiology, Hoglund Biomedical Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Michael L Thomas
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Beydoun MA, Beydoun HA, Hu YH, Li Z, Wolf C, Meirelles O, Noren Hooten N, Launer LJ, Evans MK, Zonderman AB. Infection burden and its association with neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging markers in the UK Biobank. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 115:394-405. [PMID: 37858740 PMCID: PMC10873031 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Infection burden (IB), although linked to neurodegeneration, including Alzheimer's Disease (AD), has not been examined against neurite orientation, dispersion, and density imaging (NODDI) measures. METHODS Among 38,803 UK Biobank adults (Age:40-70 years), we tested associations of total IB (IBtotal, 47.5 %) and hospital-treated IB (IBhosp, 9.7 %) with NODDI measures (5-15 years later), including volume fraction of Gaussian isotropic diffusion (ISOVF), intra-cellular volume fraction (ICVF) and orientation dispersion (OD) indices, using multiple linear regression models. RESULTS Total and hospital-treated infection burdens (IBtotal and IBhosp) were associated with increased ISOVF, indicating increased free-water component. IBtotal was positively associated with OD, indicating that at higher IBtotal there was greater fanning of neurites. This was more evident in the lower cardiovascular health group. IBhosp was associated with higher OD, and lower ICVF at higher AD polygenic risk. Together, these findings indicate that both total and hospital-treated infections have effects on NODDI outcomes in the direction of poor brain health. These effects were largely homogeneous across cardiovascular health and AD polygenic risk groups, with some effects shown to be stronger at poor cardiovascular health and/or higher AD risk. CONCLUSIONS Total and hospital-treated infections were associated with poorer white matter microstructure (higher ISOVF or OD or lower ICVF), with some heterogeneity across cardiovascular health and AD risk. Longitudinal studies with multiple repeats on neuroimaging markers in comparable samples are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- May A Beydoun
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, NIA/NIH/IRP, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Hind A Beydoun
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, NIA/NIH/IRP, Baltimore, MD, USA; Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center, Fort Belvoir, VA, USA
| | - Yi-Han Hu
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, NIA/NIH/IRP, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Zhiguang Li
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, NIA/NIH/IRP, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Claudia Wolf
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universitat, Berlin, Germany; Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Osorio Meirelles
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, NIA/NIH/IRP, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nicole Noren Hooten
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, NIA/NIH/IRP, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lenore J Launer
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, NIA/NIH/IRP, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michele K Evans
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, NIA/NIH/IRP, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alan B Zonderman
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, NIA/NIH/IRP, Baltimore, MD, USA
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11
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Lampinen B, Szczepankiewicz F, Lätt J, Knutsson L, Mårtensson J, Björkman-Burtscher IM, van Westen D, Sundgren PC, Ståhlberg F, Nilsson M. Probing brain tissue microstructure with MRI: principles, challenges, and the role of multidimensional diffusion-relaxation encoding. Neuroimage 2023; 282:120338. [PMID: 37598814 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Diffusion MRI uses the random displacement of water molecules to sensitize the signal to brain microstructure and to properties such as the density and shape of cells. Microstructure modeling techniques aim to estimate these properties from acquired data by separating the signal between virtual tissue 'compartments' such as the intra-neurite and the extra-cellular space. A key challenge is that the diffusion MRI signal is relatively featureless compared with the complexity of brain tissue. Another challenge is that the tissue microstructure is wildly different within the gray and white matter of the brain. In this review, we use results from multidimensional diffusion encoding techniques to discuss these challenges and their tentative solutions. Multidimensional encoding increases the information content of the data by varying not only the b-value and the encoding direction but also additional experimental parameters such as the shape of the b-tensor and the echo time. Three main insights have emerged from such encoding. First, multidimensional data contradict common model assumptions on diffusion and T2 relaxation, and illustrates how the use of these assumptions cause erroneous interpretations in both healthy brain and pathology. Second, many model assumptions can be dispensed with if data are acquired with multidimensional encoding. The necessary data can be easily acquired in vivo using protocols optimized to minimize Cramér-Rao lower bounds. Third, microscopic diffusion anisotropy reflects the presence of axons but not dendrites. This insight stands in contrast to current 'neurite models' of brain tissue, which assume that axons in white matter and dendrites in gray matter feature highly similar diffusion. Nevertheless, as an axon-based contrast, microscopic anisotropy can differentiate gray and white matter when myelin alterations confound conventional MRI contrasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Björn Lampinen
- Clinical Sciences Lund, Diagnostic Radiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | | | - Jimmy Lätt
- Department of Medical Imaging and Physiology, Skåne University Hospital Lund, Lund, Sweden
| | - Linda Knutsson
- Clinical Sciences Lund, Medical Radiation Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Johan Mårtensson
- Clinical Sciences Lund, Logopedics, Phoniatrics and Audiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Isabella M Björkman-Burtscher
- Department of Radiology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Danielle van Westen
- Clinical Sciences Lund, Diagnostic Radiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Department of Medical Imaging and Physiology, Skåne University Hospital Lund, Lund, Sweden
| | - Pia C Sundgren
- Clinical Sciences Lund, Diagnostic Radiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Department of Medical Imaging and Physiology, Skåne University Hospital Lund, Lund, Sweden; Lund University BioImaging Centre (LBIC), Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Freddy Ståhlberg
- Clinical Sciences Lund, Diagnostic Radiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Clinical Sciences Lund, Medical Radiation Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Markus Nilsson
- Clinical Sciences Lund, Diagnostic Radiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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12
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Anderson JFI, Oehr LE, Chen J, Maller JJ, Seal ML, Yang JYM. The relationship between cognition and white matter tract damage after mild traumatic brain injury in a premorbidly healthy, hospitalised adult cohort during the post-acute period. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1278908. [PMID: 37936919 PMCID: PMC10626495 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1278908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Recent developments in neuroimaging techniques enable increasingly sensitive consideration of the cognitive impact of damage to white matter tract (WMT) microstructural organisation after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Objective This study investigated the relationship between WMT microstructural properties and cognitive performance. Participants setting and design Using an observational design, a group of 26 premorbidly healthy adults with mTBI and a group of 20 premorbidly healthy trauma control (TC) participants who were well-matched on age, sex, premorbid functioning and a range of physical, psychological and trauma-related variables, were recruited following hospital admission for traumatic injury. Main measures All participants underwent comprehensive unblinded neuropsychological examination and structural neuroimaging as outpatients 6-10 weeks after injury. Neuropsychological examination included measures of speed of processing, attention, memory, executive function, affective state, pain, fatigue and self-reported outcome. The WMT microstructural properties were estimated using both diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) modelling techniques. Tract properties were compared between the corpus callosum, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, anterior corona radiata and three segmented sections of the superior longitudinal fasciculus. Results For the TC group, in all investigated tracts, with the exception of the uncinate fasciculus, two DTI metrics (fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient) and one NODDI metric (intra-cellular volume fraction) revealed expected predictive linear relationships between extent of WMT microstructural organisation and processing speed, memory and executive function. The mTBI group showed a strikingly different pattern relative to the TC group, with no relationships evident between WMT microstructural organisation and cognition on most tracts. Conclusion These findings indicate that the predictive relationship that normally exists in adults between WMT microstructural organisation and cognition, is significantly disrupted 6-10 weeks after mTBI and suggests that WMT microstructural organisation and cognitive function have disparate recovery trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline F. I. Anderson
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Psychology, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Lucy E. Oehr
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Jian Chen
- Developmental Imaging, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jerome J. Maller
- General Electric Healthcare, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Marc L. Seal
- Developmental Imaging, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Joseph Yuan-Mou Yang
- Developmental Imaging, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Neuroscience Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neuroscience Advanced Clinical Imaging Service (NACIS), The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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13
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Chau Loo Kung G, Knowles JK, Batra A, Ni L, Rosenberg J, McNab JA. Quantitative MRI reveals widespread, network-specific myelination change during generalized epilepsy progression. Neuroimage 2023; 280:120312. [PMID: 37574120 PMCID: PMC11095339 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Activity-dependent myelination is a fundamental mode of brain plasticity which significantly influences network function. We recently discovered that absence seizures, which occur in multiple forms of generalized epilepsy, can induce activity-dependent myelination, which in turn promotes further progression of epilepsy. Structural alterations of myelin are likely to be widespread, given that absence seizures arise from an extensive thalamocortical network involving frontoparietal regions of the bilateral hemispheres. However, the temporal course and spatial extent of myelin plasticity is unknown, due to limitations of gold-standard histological methods such as electron microscopy (EM). In this study, we leveraged magnetization transfer and diffusion MRI for estimation of g-ratios across major white matter tracts in a mouse model of generalized epilepsy with progressive absence seizures. EM was performed on the same brains after MRI. After seizure progression, we found increased myelination (decreased g-ratios) throughout the anterior portion (genu-to-body) of the corpus callosum but not in the posterior portion (body-splenium) nor in the fornix or the internal capsule. Curves obtained from averaging g-ratio values at every longitudinal point of the corpus callosum were statistically different with p<0.001. Seizure-associated myelin differences found in the corpus callosum body with MRI were statistically significant (p = 0.0027) and were concordant with EM in the same region (p = 0.01). Notably, these differences were not detected by diffusion tensor imaging. This study reveals widespread myelin structural change that is specific to the absence seizure network. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate the potential utility and importance of MRI-based g-ratio estimation to non-invasively detect myelin plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Chau Loo Kung
- Bioengineering Department, Stanford University, 443 Via Ortega, Stanford, CA 94305, United States; Radiology Department, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Rd, Stanford, CA 94305, United States.
| | - Juliet K Knowles
- Neurology Department, 1701 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States.
| | - Ankita Batra
- Neurology Department, 1701 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States.
| | - Lijun Ni
- Neurology Department, SIM1 G3035, Stanford, CA 94305, United States.
| | - Jarrett Rosenberg
- Radiology Department, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Rd, Stanford, CA 94305, United States.
| | - Jennifer A McNab
- Radiology Department, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Rd, Stanford, CA 94305, United States.
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14
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Wu Y, Liu X, Zhang X, Huynh KM, Ahmad S, Yap PT. Relaxation-Diffusion Spectrum Imaging for Probing Tissue Microarchitecture. MEDICAL IMAGE COMPUTING AND COMPUTER-ASSISTED INTERVENTION : MICCAI ... INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MEDICAL IMAGE COMPUTING AND COMPUTER-ASSISTED INTERVENTION 2023; 14227:152-162. [PMID: 39184022 PMCID: PMC11340880 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-43993-3_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/27/2024]
Abstract
Brain tissue microarchitecture is characterized by heterogeneous degrees of diffusivity and rates of transverse relaxation. Unlike standard diffusion MRI with a single echo time (TE), which provides information primarily on diffusivity, relaxation-diffusion MRI involves multiple TEs and multiple diffusion-weighting strengths for probing tissue-specific coupling between relaxation and diffusivity. Here, we introduce a relaxation-diffusion model that characterizes tissue apparent relaxation coefficients for a spectrum of diffusion length scales and at the same time factors out the effects of intra-voxel orientation heterogeneity. We examined the model with an in vivo dataset, acquired using a clinical scanner, involving different health conditions. Experimental results indicate that our model caters to heterogeneous tissue microstructure and can distinguish fiber bundles with similar diffusivities but different relaxation rates. Code with sample data is available at https://github.com/dryewu/RDSI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Wu
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaoming Liu
- Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xinyuan Zhang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Khoi Minh Huynh
- Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Sahar Ahmad
- Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Pew-Thian Yap
- Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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15
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Alsameen MH, Gong Z, Qian W, Kiely M, Triebswetter C, Bergeron CM, Cortina LE, Faulkner ME, Laporte JP, Bouhrara M. C-NODDI: a constrained NODDI model for axonal density and orientation determinations in cerebral white matter. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1205426. [PMID: 37602266 PMCID: PMC10435293 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1205426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) provides measures of neurite density and dispersion through computation of the neurite density index (NDI) and the orientation dispersion index (ODI). However, NODDI overestimates the cerebrospinal fluid water fraction in white matter (WM) and provides physiologically unrealistic high NDI values. Furthermore, derived NDI values are echo-time (TE)-dependent. In this work, we propose a modification of NODDI, named constrained NODDI (C-NODDI), for NDI and ODI mapping in WM. Methods Using NODDI and C-NODDI, we investigated age-related alterations in WM in a cohort of 58 cognitively unimpaired adults. Further, NDI values derived using NODDI or C-NODDI were correlated with the neurofilament light chain (NfL) concentration levels, a plasma biomarker of axonal degeneration. Finally, we investigated the TE dependence of NODDI or C-NODDI derived NDI and ODI. Results ODI derived values using both approaches were virtually identical, exhibiting constant trends with age. Further, our results indicated a quadratic relationship between NDI and age suggesting that axonal maturation continues until middle age followed by a decrease. This quadratic association was notably significant in several WM regions using C-NODDI, while limited to a few regions using NODDI. Further, C-NODDI-NDI values exhibited a stronger correlation with NfL concentration levels as compared to NODDI-NDI, with lower NDI values corresponding to higher levels of NfL. Finally, we confirmed the previous finding that NDI estimation using NODDI was dependent on TE, while NDI derived values using C-NODDI exhibited lower sensitivity to TE in WM. Conclusion C-NODDI provides a complementary method to NODDI for determination of NDI in white matter.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mustapha Bouhrara
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
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16
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Zhou Z, Li Q, Liao C, Cao X, Liang H, Chen Q, Pu R, Ye H, Tong Q, He H, Zhong J. Optimized three-dimensional ultrashort echo time: Magnetic resonance fingerprinting for myelin tissue fraction mapping. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:2209-2223. [PMID: 36629336 PMCID: PMC10028641 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Quantitative assessment of brain myelination has gained attention for both research and diagnosis of neurological diseases. However, conventional pulse sequences cannot directly acquire the myelin-proton signals due to its extremely short T2 and T2* values. To obtain the myelin-proton signals, dedicated short T2 acquisition techniques, such as ultrashort echo time (UTE) imaging, have been introduced. However, it remains challenging to isolate the myelin-proton signals from tissues with longer T2. In this article, we extended our previous two-dimensional ultrashort echo time magnetic resonance fingerprinting (UTE-MRF) with dual-echo acquisition to three dimensional (3D). Given a relatively low proton density (PD) of myelin-proton, we utilized Cramér-Rao Lower Bound to encode myelin-proton with the maximal SNR efficiency for optimizing the MR fingerprinting design, in order to improve the sensitivity of the sequence to myelin-proton. In addition, with a second echo of approximately 3 ms, myelin-water component can be also captured. A myelin-tissue (myelin-proton and myelin-water) fraction mapping can be thus calculated. The optimized 3D UTE-MRF with dual-echo acquisition is tested in simulations, physical phantom and in vivo studies of both healthy subjects and multiple sclerosis patients. The results suggest that the rapidly decayed myelin-proton and myelin-water signal can be depicted with UTE signals of our method at clinically relevant resolution (1.8 mm isotropic) in 15 min. With its good sensitivity to myelin loss in multiple sclerosis patients demonstrated, our method for the whole brain myelin-tissue fraction mapping in clinical friendly scan time has the potential for routine clinical imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihan Zhou
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qing Li
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- MR Collaborations, Siemens Healthineers Ltd, Shanghai, China
| | - Congyu Liao
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Xiaozhi Cao
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Hui Liang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Quan Chen
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Run Pu
- Neusoft Medical Systems, Shanghai, China
| | - Huihui Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qiqi Tong
- Research Center for Healthcare Data Science, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hongjian He
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- School of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jianhui Zhong
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
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17
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Yao J, Tendler BC, Zhou Z, Lei H, Zhang L, Bao A, Zhong J, Miller KL, He H. Both noise-floor and tissue compartment difference in diffusivity contribute to FA dependence on b-value in diffusion MRI. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:1371-1388. [PMID: 36264194 PMCID: PMC9921221 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Noninvasive diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) has been widely employed in both clinical and research settings to investigate brain tissue microstructure. Despite the evidence that dMRI-derived fractional anisotropy (FA) correlates with white matter properties, the metric is not specific. Recent studies have reported that FA is dependent on the b-value, and its origin has primarily been attributed to either the influence of microstructure or the noise-floor effect. A systematic investigation into the inter-relationship of these two effects is however still lacking. This study aims to quantify contributions of the reported differences in intra- and extra-neurite diffusivity to the observed changes in FA, in addition to the noise in measurements. We used in-vivo and post-mortem human brain imaging, as well as numerical simulations and histological validation, for this purpose. Our investigations reveal that the percentage difference of FA between b-values (pdFA) has significant positive associations with neurite density index (NDI), which is derived from in-vivo neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), or Bielschowsky's silver impregnation (BIEL) staining sections of fixed post-mortem human brain samples. Furthermore, such an association is found to be varied with Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) level, indicating a nonlinear interaction effect between tissue microstructure and noise. Finally, a multicompartment model simulation revealed that these findings can be driven by differing diffusivities of intra- and extra-neurite compartments in tissue, with the noise-floor further amplifying the effect. In conclusion, both the differences in intra- and extra-neurite diffusivity and noise-floor effects significantly contribute to the FA difference associated with the b-value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junye Yao
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Benjamin C Tendler
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Zihan Zhou
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hao Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, and Department of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,National Human Brain Bank for Health and Disease, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Aimin Bao
- Department of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, and Department of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,National Human Brain Bank for Health and Disease, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jianhui Zhong
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Karla L Miller
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Hongjian He
- Center for Brain Imaging Science and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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18
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Palombo M, Valindria V, Singh S, Chiou E, Giganti F, Pye H, Whitaker HC, Atkinson D, Punwani S, Alexander DC, Panagiotaki E. Joint estimation of relaxation and diffusion tissue parameters for prostate cancer with relaxation-VERDICT MRI. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2999. [PMID: 36810476 PMCID: PMC9943845 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30182-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
This work presents a biophysical model of diffusion and relaxation MRI for prostate called relaxation vascular, extracellular and restricted diffusion for cytometry in tumours (rVERDICT). The model includes compartment-specific relaxation effects providing T1/T2 estimates and microstructural parameters unbiased by relaxation properties of the tissue. 44 men with suspected prostate cancer (PCa) underwent multiparametric MRI (mp-MRI) and VERDICT-MRI followed by targeted biopsy. We estimate joint diffusion and relaxation prostate tissue parameters with rVERDICT using deep neural networks for fast fitting. We tested the feasibility of rVERDICT estimates for Gleason grade discrimination and compared with classic VERDICT and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) from mp-MRI. The rVERDICT intracellular volume fraction fic discriminated between Gleason 3 + 3 and 3 + 4 (p = 0.003) and Gleason 3 + 4 and ≥ 4 + 3 (p = 0.040), outperforming classic VERDICT and the ADC from mp-MRI. To evaluate the relaxation estimates we compare against independent multi-TE acquisitions, showing that the rVERDICT T2 values are not significantly different from those estimated with the independent multi-TE acquisition (p > 0.05). Also, rVERDICT parameters exhibited high repeatability when rescanning five patients (R2 = 0.79-0.98; CV = 1-7%; ICC = 92-98%). The rVERDICT model allows for accurate, fast and repeatable estimation of diffusion and relaxation properties of PCa sensitive enough to discriminate Gleason grades 3 + 3, 3 + 4 and ≥ 4 + 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Palombo
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK.
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK.
- School of Computer Science and Informatics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
| | - Vanya Valindria
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Saurabh Singh
- Centre for Medical Imaging, University College London, London, UK
| | - Eleni Chiou
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Francesco Giganti
- Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Radiology, University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Hayley Pye
- Molecular Diagnostics and Therapeutics Group, Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Hayley C Whitaker
- Molecular Diagnostics and Therapeutics Group, Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - David Atkinson
- Centre for Medical Imaging, University College London, London, UK
| | - Shonit Punwani
- Centre for Medical Imaging, University College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel C Alexander
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Eleftheria Panagiotaki
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
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19
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Comino Garcia-Munoz A, Alemán-Gómez Y, Toledano R, Poch C, García-Morales I, Aledo-Serrano Á, Gil-Nagel A, Campo P. Morphometric and microstructural characteristics of hippocampal subfields in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and their correlates with mnemonic discrimination. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1096873. [PMID: 36864916 PMCID: PMC9972498 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1096873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Pattern separation (PS) is a fundamental aspect of memory creation that defines the ability to transform similar memory representations into distinct ones, so they do not overlap when storing and retrieving them. Experimental evidence in animal models and the study of other human pathologies have demonstrated the role of the hippocampus in PS, in particular of the dentate gyrus (DG) and CA3. Patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HE) commonly report mnemonic deficits that have been associated with failures in PS. However, the link between these impairments and the integrity of the hippocampal subfields in these patients has not yet been determined. The aim of this work is to explore the association between the ability to perform mnemonic functions and the integrity of hippocampal CA1, CA3, and DG in patients with unilateral MTLE-HE. Method To reach this goal we evaluated the memory of patients with an improved object mnemonic similarity test. We then analyzed the hippocampal complex structural and microstructural integrity using diffusion weighted imaging. Results Our results indicate that patients with unilateral MTLE-HE present alterations in both volume and microstructural properties at the level of the hippocampal subfields DG, CA1, CA3, and the subiculum, that sometimes depend on the lateralization of their epileptic focus. However, none of the specific changes was found to be directly related to the performance of the patients in a pattern separation task, which might indicate a contribution of various alterations to the mnemonic deficits or the key contribution of other structures to the function. Discussion we established for the first time the alterations in both the volume and the microstructure at the level of the hippocampal subfields in a group of unilateral MTLE patients. We observed that these changes are greater in the DG and CA1 at the macrostructural level, and in CA3 and CA1 in the microstructural level. None of these changes had a direct relation to the performance of the patients in a pattern separation task, which suggests a contribution of various alterations to the loss of function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Comino Garcia-Munoz
- Centre de Résonance Magnétique Biologique et Médicale-Unité Mixte de Recherche 7339, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Yasser Alemán-Gómez
- Connectomics Lab, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rafael Toledano
- Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Ruber Internacional, Madrid, Spain,Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Department, University Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
| | - Claudia Poch
- Facultad de Lenguas y Educación, Universidad de Nebrija, Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene García-Morales
- Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Ruber Internacional, Madrid, Spain,Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Department, University Hospital of San Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ángel Aledo-Serrano
- Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Ruber Internacional, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Gil-Nagel
- Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Ruber Internacional, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pablo Campo
- Department of Basic Psychology, Autonoma University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain,*Correspondence: Pablo Campo ✉
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20
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Berg RC, Menegaux A, Amthor T, Gilbert G, Mora M, Schlaeger S, Pongratz V, Lauerer M, Sorg C, Doneva M, Vavasour I, Mühlau M, Preibisch C. Comparing myelin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging measures and resulting g-ratios in healthy and multiple sclerosis brains. Neuroimage 2022; 264:119750. [PMID: 36379421 PMCID: PMC9931395 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The myelin concentration and the degree of myelination of nerve fibers can provide valuable information on the integrity of human brain tissue. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of myelin-sensitive parameters can help to non-invasively evaluate demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Several different myelin-sensitive MRI methods have been proposed to determine measures of the degree of myelination, in particular the g-ratio. However, variability in underlying physical principles and different biological models influence measured myelin concentrations, and consequently g-ratio values. We therefore investigated similarities and differences between five different myelin-sensitive MRI measures and their effects on g-ratio mapping in the brains of both MS patients and healthy volunteers. We compared two different estimates of the myelin water fraction (MWF) as well as the inhomogeneous magnetization transfer ratio (ihMTR), magnetization transfer saturation (MTsat), and macromolecular tissue volume (MTV) in 13 patients with MS and 14 healthy controls. In combination with diffusion-weighted imaging, we derived g-ratio parameter maps for each of the five different myelin measures. The g-ratio values calculated from different myelin measures varied strongly, especially in MS lesions. While, compared to normal-appearing white matter, MTsat and one estimate of the MWF resulted in higher g-ratio values within lesions, ihMTR, MTV, and the second MWF estimate resulted in lower lesion g-ratio values. As myelin-sensitive measures provide rough estimates of myelin content rather than absolute myelin concentrations, resulting g-ratio values strongly depend on the utilized myelin measure and model used for g-ratio mapping. When comparing g-ratio values, it is, thus, important to utilize the same MRI methods and models or to consider methodological differences. Particular caution is necessary in pathological tissue such as MS lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronja C. Berg
- Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Munich, Germany,Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Munich, Germany,Corresponding author at: Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, München, Germany. (R.C. Berg)
| | - Aurore Menegaux
- Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Munich, Germany,Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, TUM Neuroimaging Center, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Maria Mora
- Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Munich, Germany
| | - Sarah Schlaeger
- Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Munich, Germany
| | - Viola Pongratz
- Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Munich, Germany,Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, TUM Neuroimaging Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Markus Lauerer
- Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Munich, Germany,Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, TUM Neuroimaging Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Sorg
- Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Munich, Germany,Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, TUM Neuroimaging Center, Munich, Germany,Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Irene Vavasour
- University of British Columbia, Department of Radiology, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mark Mühlau
- Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Munich, Germany,Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, TUM Neuroimaging Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Christine Preibisch
- Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Munich, Germany,Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Munich, Germany,Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, TUM Neuroimaging Center, Munich, Germany
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21
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Tagge IJ, Leppert IR, Fetco D, Campbell JS, Rudko DA, Brown RA, Stikov N, Pike GB, Giacomini PS, Arnold DL, Narayanan S. Permanent tissue damage in multiple sclerosis lesions is associated with reduced pre-lesion myelin and axon volume fractions. Mult Scler 2022; 28:2027-2037. [PMID: 35903888 PMCID: PMC9574230 DOI: 10.1177/13524585221110585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques in MS research has led to new insights in lesion evolution and disease outcomes. It has not yet been determined if, or how, pre-lesional abnormalities in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) relate to the long-term evolution of new lesions. OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between abnormalities in MRI measures of axonal and myelin volume fractions (AVF and MVF) in NAWM preceding development of black-hole (BH) and non-BH lesions in people with MS. METHODS We obtained magnetization transfer and diffusion MRI at 6-month intervals in patients with MS to estimate MVF and AVF during lesion evolution. Lesions were classified as either BH or non-BH on the final imaging visit using T1 maps. RESULTS Longitudinal data from 97 new T2 lesions from 9 participants were analyzed; 25 lesions in 8 participants were classified as BH 6-12 months after initial appearance. Pre-lesion MVF, AVF, and MVF/AVF were significantly lower, and T1 was significantly higher, in the lesions that later became BHs (p < 0.001) compared to those that did not. No significant pre-lesion abnormalities were found in non-BH lesions (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION The present work demonstrated that pre-lesion abnormalities are associated with worse long-term lesion-level outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J Tagge
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Ilana R Leppert
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Dumitru Fetco
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jennifer Sw Campbell
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - David A Rudko
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Robert A Brown
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Nikola Stikov
- Electrical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - G Bruce Pike
- Departments of Radiology and Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Paul S Giacomini
- Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Douglas L Arnold
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sridar Narayanan
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
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22
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Hori M, Maekawa T, Kamiya K, Hagiwara A, Goto M, Takemura MY, Fujita S, Andica C, Kamagata K, Cohen-Adad J, Aoki S. Advanced Diffusion MR Imaging for Multiple Sclerosis in the Brain and Spinal Cord. Magn Reson Med Sci 2022; 21:58-70. [PMID: 35173096 PMCID: PMC9199983 DOI: 10.2463/mrms.rev.2021-0091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been established its usefulness in evaluating normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) and other lesions that are difficult to evaluate with routine clinical MRI in the evaluation of the brain and spinal cord lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS), a demyelinating disease. With the recent advances in the software and hardware of MRI systems, increasingly complex and sophisticated MRI and analysis methods, such as q-space imaging, diffusional kurtosis imaging, neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging, white matter tract integrity, and multiple diffusion encoding, referred to as advanced diffusion MRI, have been proposed. These are capable of capturing in vivo microstructural changes in the brain and spinal cord in normal and pathological states in greater detail than DTI. This paper reviews the current status of recent advanced diffusion MRI for assessing MS in vivo as part of an issue celebrating two decades of magnetic resonance in medical sciences (MRMS), an official journal of the Japanese Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaaki Hori
- Department of Radiology, Toho University Omori Medical Center.,Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine
| | - Tomoko Maekawa
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine
| | - Kouhei Kamiya
- Department of Radiology, Toho University Omori Medical Center.,Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine
| | | | - Masami Goto
- Department of Radiological Technology, Faculty of Health Science, Juntendo University
| | | | - Shohei Fujita
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine
| | | | - Koji Kamagata
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine
| | | | - Shigeki Aoki
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine
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23
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Ji Y, Hoge WS, Gagoski B, Westin CF, Rathi Y, Ning L. Accelerating joint relaxation-diffusion MRI by integrating time division multiplexing and simultaneous multi-slice (TDM-SMS) strategies. Magn Reson Med 2022; 87:2697-2709. [PMID: 35092081 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To accelerate the acquisition of relaxation-diffusion imaging by integrating time-division multiplexing (TDM) with simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) for EPI and evaluate imaging quality and diffusion measures. METHODS The time-division multiplexing (TDM) technique and SMS method were integrated to achieve a high slice-acceleration (e.g., 6×) factor for acquiring relaxation-diffusion MRI. Two variants of the sequence, referred to as TDM3e-SMS and TDM2s-SMS, were developed to simultaneously acquire slice groups with three distinct TEs and two slice groups with the same TE, respectively. Both sequences were evaluated on a 3T scanner with in vivo human brains and compared with standard single-band (SB) -EPI and SMS-EPI using diffusion measures and tractography results. RESULTS Experimental results showed that the TDM3e-SMS sequence with total slice acceleration of 6 (multiplexing factor (MP) = 3 × multi-band factor (MB) = 2) provided similar image intensity and microstructure measures compared to standard SMS-EPI with MB = 2, and yielded less bias in intensity compared to standard SMS-EPI with MB = 4. The three sequences showed a similar positive correlation between TE and mean kurtosis (MK) and a negative correlation between TE and mean diffusivity (MD) in white matter. Multi-fiber tractography also shows consistency of results in TE-dependent measures between different sequences. The TDM2s-SMS sequence (MP = 2, MB = 2) also provided imaging measures similar to standard SMS-EPI sequences (MB = 2) for single-TE diffusion imaging. CONCLUSIONS The TDM-SMS sequence can provide additional 2× to 3× acceleration to SMS without degrading imaging quality. With the significant reduction in scan time, TDM-SMS makes joint relaxation-diffusion MRI a feasible technique in neuroimaging research to investigate new markers of brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Ji
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB Division, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - W Scott Hoge
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Borjan Gagoski
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Carl-Fredrik Westin
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yogesh Rathi
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lipeng Ning
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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24
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Slator PJ, Palombo M, Miller KL, Westin C, Laun F, Kim D, Haldar JP, Benjamini D, Lemberskiy G, de Almeida Martins JP, Hutter J. Combined diffusion-relaxometry microstructure imaging: Current status and future prospects. Magn Reson Med 2021; 86:2987-3011. [PMID: 34411331 PMCID: PMC8568657 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Microstructure imaging seeks to noninvasively measure and map microscopic tissue features by pairing mathematical modeling with tailored MRI protocols. This article reviews an emerging paradigm that has the potential to provide a more detailed assessment of tissue microstructure-combined diffusion-relaxometry imaging. Combined diffusion-relaxometry acquisitions vary multiple MR contrast encodings-such as b-value, gradient direction, inversion time, and echo time-in a multidimensional acquisition space. When paired with suitable analysis techniques, this enables quantification of correlations and coupling between multiple MR parameters-such as diffusivity, T 1 , T 2 , and T 2 ∗ . This opens the possibility of disentangling multiple tissue compartments (within voxels) that are indistinguishable with single-contrast scans, enabling a new generation of microstructural maps with improved biological sensitivity and specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paddy J. Slator
- Centre for Medical Image ComputingDepartment of Computer ScienceUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Marco Palombo
- Centre for Medical Image ComputingDepartment of Computer ScienceUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Karla L. Miller
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical NeurosciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Carl‐Fredrik Westin
- Department of RadiologyBrigham and Women’s HospitalHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMAUSA
| | - Frederik Laun
- Institute of RadiologyUniversity Hospital ErlangenFriedrich‐Alexander‐Universität Erlangen‐Nürnberg (FAU)ErlangenGermany
| | - Daeun Kim
- Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
- Signal and Image Processing InstituteUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
| | - Justin P. Haldar
- Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
- Signal and Image Processing InstituteUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
| | - Dan Benjamini
- The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentBethesdaMDUSA
- The Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative MedicineUniformed Service University of the Health SciencesBethesdaMDUSA
| | | | - Joao P. de Almeida Martins
- Division of Physical Chemistry, Department of ChemistryLund UniversityLundSweden
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear MedicineSt. Olav’s University HospitalTrondheimNorway
| | - Jana Hutter
- Centre for Biomedical EngineeringSchool of Biomedical Engineering and ImagingKing’s College LondonLondonUK
- Centre for the Developing BrainSchool of Biomedical Engineering and ImagingKing’s College LondonLondonUK
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25
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Cottaar M, Wu W, Tendler BC, Nagy Z, Miller K, Jbabdi S. Quantifying myelin in crossing fibers using diffusion-prepared phase imaging: Theory and simulations. Magn Reson Med 2021; 86:2618-2634. [PMID: 34254349 PMCID: PMC8581995 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Myelin has long been the target of neuroimaging research. However, most available techniques can only provide a voxel-averaged estimate of myelin content. In the human brain, white matter fiber pathways connecting different brain areas and carrying different functions often cross each other in the same voxel. A measure that can differentiate the degree of myelination of crossing fibers would provide a more specific marker of myelination. THEORY AND METHODS One MRI signal property that is sensitive to myelin is the phase accumulation. This sensitivity is used by measuring the phase accumulation of the signal remaining after diffusion-weighting, which is called diffusion-prepared phase imaging (DIPPI). Including diffusion-weighting before estimating the phase accumulation has two distinct advantages for estimating the degree of myelination: (1) It increases the relative contribution of intra-axonal water, whose phase is related linearly to the thickness of the surrounding myelin (in particular the log g-ratio); and (2) it gives directional information, which can be used to distinguish between crossing fibers. Here the DIPPI sequence is described, an approach is proposed to estimate the log g-ratio, and simulations are used and DIPPI data acquired in an isotropic phantom to quantify other sources of phase accumulation. RESULTS The expected bias is estimated in the log g-ratio for reasonable in vivo acquisition parameters caused by eddy currents (~4%-10%), remaining extra-axonal signal (~15%), and gradients in the bulk off-resonance field (<10% for most of the brain). CONCLUSION This new sequence may provide a g-ratio estimate per fiber population crossing within a voxel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiel Cottaar
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging—Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the BrainJohn Radcliffe HospitalUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Wenchuan Wu
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging—Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the BrainJohn Radcliffe HospitalUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Benjamin C. Tendler
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging—Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the BrainJohn Radcliffe HospitalUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Zoltan Nagy
- Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems ResearchUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Karla Miller
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging—Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the BrainJohn Radcliffe HospitalUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Saad Jbabdi
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging—Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the BrainJohn Radcliffe HospitalUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
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26
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Balbastre Y, Brudfors M, Azzarito M, Lambert C, Callaghan MF, Ashburner J. Model-based multi-parameter mapping. Med Image Anal 2021; 73:102149. [PMID: 34271531 PMCID: PMC8505752 DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2021.102149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Quantitative MR imaging is increasingly favoured for its richer information content and standardised measures. However, computing quantitative parameter maps, such as those encoding longitudinal relaxation rate (R1), apparent transverse relaxation rate (R2*) or magnetisation-transfer saturation (MTsat), involves inverting a highly non-linear function. Many methods for deriving parameter maps assume perfect measurements and do not consider how noise is propagated through the estimation procedure, resulting in needlessly noisy maps. Instead, we propose a probabilistic generative (forward) model of the entire dataset, which is formulated and inverted to jointly recover (log) parameter maps with a well-defined probabilistic interpretation (e.g., maximum likelihood or maximum a posteriori). The second order optimisation we propose for model fitting achieves rapid and stable convergence thanks to a novel approximate Hessian. We demonstrate the utility of our flexible framework in the context of recovering more accurate maps from data acquired using the popular multi-parameter mapping protocol. We also show how to incorporate a joint total variation prior to further decrease the noise in the maps, noting that the probabilistic formulation allows the uncertainty on the recovered parameter maps to be estimated. Our implementation uses a PyTorch backend and benefits from GPU acceleration. It is available at https://github.com/balbasty/nitorch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaël Balbastre
- Wellcome Center for Human Neuroimaging, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
| | - Mikael Brudfors
- Wellcome Center for Human Neuroimaging, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK; School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Michela Azzarito
- Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Lambert
- Wellcome Center for Human Neuroimaging, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Martina F Callaghan
- Wellcome Center for Human Neuroimaging, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - John Ashburner
- Wellcome Center for Human Neuroimaging, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
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27
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Afzali M, Nilsson M, Palombo M, Jones DK. SPHERIOUSLY? The challenges of estimating sphere radius non-invasively in the human brain from diffusion MRI. Neuroimage 2021; 237:118183. [PMID: 34020013 PMCID: PMC8285594 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 04/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Soma and Neurite Density Imaging (SANDI) three-compartment model was recently proposed to disentangle cylindrical and spherical geometries, attributed to neurite and soma compartments, respectively, in brain tissue. There are some recent advances in diffusion-weighted MRI signal encoding and analysis (including the use of multiple so-called 'b-tensor' encodings and analysing the signal in the frequency-domain) that have not yet been applied in the context of SANDI. In this work, using: (i) ultra-strong gradients; (ii) a combination of linear, planar, and spherical b-tensor encodings; and (iii) analysing the signal in the frequency domain, three main challenges to robust estimation of sphere size were identified: First, the Rician noise floor in magnitude-reconstructed data biases estimates of sphere properties in a non-uniform fashion. It may cause overestimation or underestimation of the spherical compartment size and density. This can be partly ameliorated by accounting for the noise floor in the estimation routine. Second, even when using the strongest diffusion-encoding gradient strengths available for human MRI, there is an empirical lower bound on the spherical signal fraction and radius that can be detected and estimated robustly. For the experimental setup used here, the lower bound on the sphere signal fraction was approximately 10%. We employed two different ways of establishing the lower bound for spherical radius estimates in white matter. The first, examining power-law relationships between the DW-signal and diffusion weighting in empirical data, yielded a lower bound of 7μm, while the second, pure Monte Carlo simulations, yielded a lower limit of 3μm and in this low radii domain, there is little differentiation in signal attenuation. Third, if there is sensitivity to the transverse intra-cellular diffusivity in cylindrical structures, e.g., axons and cellular projections, then trying to disentangle two diffusion-time-dependencies using one experimental parameter (i.e., change in frequency-content of the encoding waveform) makes spherical radii estimates particularly challenging. We conclude that due to the aforementioned challenges spherical radii estimates may be biased when the corresponding sphere signal fraction is low, which must be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Afzali
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
| | - Markus Nilsson
- Clinical Sciences Lund, Radiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Marco Palombo
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Derek K Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
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Tax CMW, Kleban E, Chamberland M, Baraković M, Rudrapatna U, Jones DK. Measuring compartmental T 2-orientational dependence in human brain white matter using a tiltable RF coil and diffusion-T 2 correlation MRI. Neuroimage 2021; 236:117967. [PMID: 33845062 PMCID: PMC8270891 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The anisotropy of brain white matter microstructure manifests itself in orientational-dependence of various MRI contrasts, and can result in significant quantification biases if ignored. Understanding the origins of this orientation-dependence could enhance the interpretation of MRI signal changes in development, ageing and disease and ultimately improve clinical diagnosis. Using a novel experimental setup, this work studies the contributions of the intra- and extra-axonal water to the orientation-dependence of one of the most clinically-studied parameters, apparent transverse relaxation T2. Specifically, a tiltable receive coil is interfaced with an ultra-strong gradient MRI scanner to acquire multidimensional MRI data with an unprecedented range of acquisition parameters. Using this setup, compartmental T2 can be disentangled based on differences in diffusional-anisotropy, and its orientation-dependence further elucidated by re-orienting the head with respect to the main magnetic field B→0. A dependence of (compartmental) T2 on the fibre orientation w.r.t. B→0 was observed, and further quantified using characteristic representations for susceptibility- and magic angle effects. Across white matter, anisotropy effects were dominated by the extra-axonal water signal, while the intra-axonal water signal decay varied less with fibre-orientation. Moreover, the results suggest that the stronger extra-axonal T2 orientation-dependence is dominated by magnetic susceptibility effects (presumably from the myelin sheath) while the weaker intra-axonal T2 orientation-dependence may be driven by a combination of microstructural effects. Even though the current design of the tiltable coil only offers a modest range of angles, the results demonstrate an overall effect of tilt and serve as a proof-of-concept motivating further hardware development to facilitate experiments that explore orientational anisotropy. These observations have the potential to lead to white matter microstructural models with increased compartmental sensitivity to disease, and can have direct consequences for longitudinal and group-wise T2- and diffusion-MRI data analysis, where the effect of head-orientation in the scanner is commonly ignored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantal M W Tax
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Elena Kleban
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Maxime Chamberland
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Muhamed Baraković
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; Signal Processing Laboratory 5, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Translational Imaging in Neurology Basel, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Umesh Rudrapatna
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Derek K Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia
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29
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On the use of multicompartment models of diffusion and relaxation for placental imaging. Placenta 2021; 112:197-203. [PMID: 34392172 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2021.07.302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Multi-compartment models of diffusion and relaxation are ubiquitous in magnetic resonance research especially applied to neuroimaging applications. These models are increasingly making their way into the world of placental imaging. This review provides a framework for their motivation and implementation and describes some of the outstanding questions that need to be answered before they can be routinely adopted.
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30
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Ji Y, Gagoski B, Hoge WS, Rathi Y, Ning L. Accelerated diffusion and relaxation-diffusion MRI using time-division multiplexing EPI. Magn Reson Med 2021; 86:2528-2541. [PMID: 34196032 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To develop a time-division multiplexing echo-planar imaging (TDM-EPI) sequence for approximately two- to threefold acceleration when acquiring joint relaxation-diffusion MRI data with multiple TEs. METHODS The proposed TDM-EPI sequence interleaves excitation and data collection for up to 3 separate slices at different TEs and uses echo-shifting gradients to disentangle the overlapping echo signals during the readout period. By properly arranging the sequence event blocks for each slice and adjusting the echo-shifting gradients, diffusion-weighted images from separate slices can be acquired. Therefore, we present 2 variants of the sequence. A single-TE TDM-EPI is presented to demonstrate the concept. Next, a multi-TE TDM-EPI is presented to highlight the advantages of the TDM approach for relaxation-diffusion imaging. These sequences were evaluated on a 3 Tesla scanner with a water phantom and in vivo human brain data. RESULTS The single-TE TDM-EPI sequence can simultaneously acquire 2 slices with a maximum b value of 3000 s/mm2 and 2.5 mm isotropic resolution using interleaved readout windows with TE ≈ 78 ms. With the same b value and resolution, the multi-TE TDM-EPI sequence can simultaneously acquire 2 or 3 separate slices using interleaved readout sections with shortest TE ≈ 70 ms and ΔTE ≈ 30 ms. Phantom and in vivo experiments have shown that the proposed TDM-EPI sequences can provide similar image quality and diffusion measures as conventional EPI readouts with multiple echoes but can reduce the overall relaxation-diffusion protocol scan time by approximately two- to threefold. CONCLUSION TDM-EPI is a novel approach to acquire diffusion imaging data at multiple TEs. This enables a significant reduction in acquisition time for relaxation-diffusion MRI experiments but without compromising image quality and diffusion measurements, thus removing a significant barrier to the adoption of relaxation-diffusion MRI in clinical research studies of neurological and mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Ji
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Borjan Gagoski
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - W Scott Hoge
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yogesh Rathi
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lipeng Ning
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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31
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Johnson D, Ricciardi A, Brownlee W, Kanber B, Prados F, Collorone S, Kaden E, Toosy A, Alexander DC, Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott CAM, Ciccarelli O, Grussu F. Comparison of Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging and Two-Compartment Spherical Mean Technique Parameter Maps in Multiple Sclerosis. Front Neurol 2021; 12:662855. [PMID: 34194382 PMCID: PMC8236830 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.662855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) and the spherical mean technique (SMT) are diffusion MRI methods providing metrics with sensitivity to similar characteristics of white matter microstructure. There has been limited comparison of changes in NODDI and SMT parameters due to multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology in clinical settings. Purpose: To compare group-wise differences between healthy controls and MS patients in NODDI and SMT metrics, investigating associations with disability and correlations with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics. Methods: Sixty three relapsing-remitting MS patients were compared to 28 healthy controls. NODDI and SMT metrics corresponding to intracellular volume fraction (vin), orientation dispersion (ODI and ODE), diffusivity (D) (SMT only) and isotropic volume fraction (viso) (NODDI only) were calculated from diffusion MRI data, alongside DTI metrics (fractional anisotropy, FA; axial/mean/radial diffusivity, AD/MD/RD). Correlations between all pairs of MRI metrics were calculated in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM). Associations with expanded disability status scale (EDSS), controlling for age and gender, were evaluated. Patient-control differences were assessed voxel-by-voxel in MNI space controlling for age and gender at the 5% significance level, correcting for multiple comparisons. Spatial overlap of areas showing significant differences were compared using Dice coefficients. Results: NODDI and SMT show significant associations with EDSS (standardised beta coefficient −0.34 in NAWM and −0.37 in lesions for NODDI vin; 0.38 and −0.31 for SMT ODE and vin in lesions; p < 0.05). Significant correlations in NAWM are observed between DTI and NODDI/SMT metrics. NODDI vin and SMT vin strongly correlated (r = 0.72, p < 0.05), likewise NODDI ODI and SMT ODE (r = −0.80, p < 0.05). All DTI, NODDI and SMT metrics detect widespread differences between patients and controls in NAWM (12.57% and 11.90% of MNI brain mask for SMT and NODDI vin, Dice overlap of 0.42). Data Conclusion: SMT and NODDI detect significant differences in white matter microstructure between MS patients and controls, concurring on the direction of these changes, providing consistent descriptors of tissue microstructure that correlate with disability and show alterations beyond focal damage. Our study suggests that NODDI and SMT may play a role in monitoring MS in clinical trials and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Johnson
- Department of Neuroinflammation, Faculty of Brain Sciences, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre, University College London (UCL) Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Antonio Ricciardi
- Department of Neuroinflammation, Faculty of Brain Sciences, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre, University College London (UCL) Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Wallace Brownlee
- Department of Neuroinflammation, Faculty of Brain Sciences, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre, University College London (UCL) Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Baris Kanber
- Department of Neuroinflammation, Faculty of Brain Sciences, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre, University College London (UCL) Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ferran Prados
- Department of Neuroinflammation, Faculty of Brain Sciences, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre, University College London (UCL) Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,e-Health Centre, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sara Collorone
- Department of Neuroinflammation, Faculty of Brain Sciences, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre, University College London (UCL) Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Enrico Kaden
- Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ahmed Toosy
- Department of Neuroinflammation, Faculty of Brain Sciences, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre, University College London (UCL) Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel C Alexander
- Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Claudia A M Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott
- Department of Neuroinflammation, Faculty of Brain Sciences, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre, University College London (UCL) Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) 3T Research Centre, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Olga Ciccarelli
- Department of Neuroinflammation, Faculty of Brain Sciences, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre, University College London (UCL) Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco Grussu
- Department of Neuroinflammation, Faculty of Brain Sciences, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre, University College London (UCL) Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Radiomics Group, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Barcelona, Spain
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32
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Slator PJ, Hutter J, Marinescu RV, Palombo M, Jackson LH, Ho A, Chappell LC, Rutherford M, Hajnal JV, Alexander DC. Data-Driven multi-Contrast spectral microstructure imaging with InSpect: INtegrated SPECTral component estimation and mapping. Med Image Anal 2021; 71:102045. [PMID: 33934005 PMCID: PMC8543043 DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2021.102045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Unsupervised learning technique for spectroscopic analysis of quantitative MRI. Shares information across voxels to improve estimation of multi-dimensional or single-dimensional spectra. Spectral maps are dramatically improved compared to existing approaches. Can potentially identify and map tissue environments; in placental diffusion-relaxometry MRI we demonstrate that it identifies components that correspond to distinct tissue types.
We introduce and demonstrate an unsupervised machine learning technique for spectroscopic analysis of quantitative MRI experiments. Our algorithm supports estimation of one-dimensional spectra from single-contrast data, and multidimensional correlation spectra from simultaneous multi-contrast data. These spectrum-based approaches allow model-free investigation of tissue properties, but require regularised inversion of a Laplace transform or Fredholm integral, which is an ill-posed calculation. Here we present a method that addresses this limitation in a data-driven way. The algorithm simultaneously estimates a canonical basis of spectral components and voxelwise maps of their weightings, thereby pooling information across whole images to regularise the ill-posed problem. We show in simulations that our algorithm substantially outperforms current voxelwise spectral approaches. We demonstrate the method on multi-contrast diffusion-relaxometry placental MRI scans, revealing anatomically-relevant sub-structures, and identifying dysfunctional placentas. Our algorithm vastly reduces the data required to reliably estimate spectra, opening up the possibility of quantitative MRI spectroscopy in a wide range of new applications. Our InSpect code is available at github.com/paddyslator/inspect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paddy J Slator
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, UK.
| | - Jana Hutter
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Kings College London, London, UK; Biomedical Engineering Department, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Razvan V Marinescu
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, UK
| | - Marco Palombo
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, UK
| | - Laurence H Jackson
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Kings College London, London, UK; Biomedical Engineering Department, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Alison Ho
- Women's Health Department, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Lucy C Chappell
- Women's Health Department, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Mary Rutherford
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Joseph V Hajnal
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Kings College London, London, UK; Biomedical Engineering Department, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel C Alexander
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, UK
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33
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Cabeen RP, Toga AW, Allman JM. Frontoinsular cortical microstructure is linked to life satisfaction in young adulthood. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 15:2775-2789. [PMID: 33825124 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-021-00467-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Life satisfaction is a component of subjective well-being that reflects a global judgement of the quality of life according to an individual's own needs and expectations. As a psychological construct, it has attracted attention due to its relationship to mental health, resilience to stress, and other factors. Neuroimaging studies have identified neurobiological correlates of life satisfaction; however, they are limited to functional connectivity and gray matter morphometry. We explored features of gray matter microstructure obtained through compartmental modeling of multi-shell diffusion MRI data, and we examined cortical microstructure in frontoinsular cortex in a cohort of 807 typical young adults scanned as part of the Human Connectome Project. Our experiments identified the orientation dispersion index (ODI), and analogously fractional anisotropy (FA), of frontoinsular cortex as a robust set of anatomically-specific lateralized diffusion MRI microstructure features that are linked to life satisfaction, independent of other demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors. We further validated our findings in a secondary test-retest dataset and found high reliability of our imaging metrics and reproducibility of outcomes. In our analysis of twin and non-twin siblings, we found basic microstructure in frontoinsular cortex to be strongly genetically determined. We also found a more moderate but still very significant genetic role in determining microstructure as it relates to life satisfaction in frontoinsular cortex. Our findings suggest a potential linkage between well-being and microscopic features of frontoinsular cortex, which may reflect cellular morphology and architecture and may more broadly implicate the integrity of the homeostatic processing performed by frontoinsular cortex as an important component of an individual's judgements of life satisfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan P Cabeen
- Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Arthur W Toga
- Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - John M Allman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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34
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Rahmanzadeh R, Lu PJ, Barakovic M, Weigel M, Maggi P, Nguyen TD, Schiavi S, Daducci A, La Rosa F, Schaedelin S, Absinta M, Reich DS, Sati P, Wang Y, Bach Cuadra M, Radue EW, Kuhle J, Kappos L, Granziera C. Myelin and axon pathology in multiple sclerosis assessed by myelin water and multi-shell diffusion imaging. Brain 2021; 144:1684-1696. [PMID: 33693571 PMCID: PMC8374972 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Damage to the myelin sheath and the neuroaxonal unit is a cardinal feature of multiple sclerosis; however, a detailed characterization of the interaction between myelin and axon damage in vivo remains challenging. We applied myelin water and multi-shell diffusion imaging to quantify the relative damage to myelin and axons (i) among different lesion types; (ii) in normal-appearing tissue; and (iii) across multiple sclerosis clinical subtypes and healthy controls. We also assessed the relation of focal myelin/axon damage with disability and serum neurofilament light chain as a global biological measure of neuroaxonal damage. Ninety-one multiple sclerosis patients (62 relapsing-remitting, 29 progressive) and 72 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Differences in myelin water fraction and neurite density index were substantial when lesions were compared to healthy control subjects and normal-appearing multiple sclerosis tissue: both white matter and cortical lesions exhibited a decreased myelin water fraction and neurite density index compared with healthy (P < 0.0001) and peri-plaque white matter (P < 0.0001). Periventricular lesions showed decreased myelin water fraction and neurite density index compared with lesions in the juxtacortical region (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.05). Similarly, lesions with paramagnetic rims showed decreased myelin water fraction and neurite density index relative to lesions without a rim (P < 0.0001). Also, in 75% of white matter lesions, the reduction in neurite density index was higher than the reduction in the myelin water fraction. Besides, normal-appearing white and grey matter revealed diffuse reduction of myelin water fraction and neurite density index in multiple sclerosis compared to healthy controls (P < 0.01). Further, a more extensive reduction in myelin water fraction and neurite density index in normal-appearing cortex was observed in progressive versus relapsing-remitting participants. Neurite density index in white matter lesions correlated with disability in patients with clinical deficits (P < 0.01, beta = -10.00); and neurite density index and myelin water fraction in white matter lesions were associated to serum neurofilament light chain in the entire patient cohort (P < 0.01, beta = -3.60 and P < 0.01, beta = 0.13, respectively). These findings suggest that (i) myelin and axon pathology in multiple sclerosis is extensive in both lesions and normal-appearing tissue; (ii) particular types of lesions exhibit more damage to myelin and axons than others; (iii) progressive patients differ from relapsing-remitting patients because of more extensive axon/myelin damage in the cortex; and (iv) myelin and axon pathology in lesions is related to disability in patients with clinical deficits and global measures of neuroaxonal damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Rahmanzadeh
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, Translational Imaging in Neurology Basel, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Departments of Medicine, Clinical Research and Biomedical Engineering Neurologic Clinic and Policlinic, Switzerland, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Po-Jui Lu
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, Translational Imaging in Neurology Basel, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Departments of Medicine, Clinical Research and Biomedical Engineering Neurologic Clinic and Policlinic, Switzerland, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Muhamed Barakovic
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, Translational Imaging in Neurology Basel, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Departments of Medicine, Clinical Research and Biomedical Engineering Neurologic Clinic and Policlinic, Switzerland, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Weigel
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, Translational Imaging in Neurology Basel, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Departments of Medicine, Clinical Research and Biomedical Engineering Neurologic Clinic and Policlinic, Switzerland, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Division of Radiological Physics, Department of Radiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Pietro Maggi
- Department of Neurology, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Cliniques universitaires Saint Luc, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Thanh D Nguyen
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Simona Schiavi
- Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Francesco La Rosa
- Signal Processing Laboratory (LTS5), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Radiology Department, Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM), Lausanne University and University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Schaedelin
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, Translational Imaging in Neurology Basel, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Martina Absinta
- Translational Neuroradiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.,Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Daniel S Reich
- Translational Neuroradiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Pascal Sati
- Translational Neuroradiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.,Department of Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Meritxell Bach Cuadra
- Signal Processing Laboratory (LTS5), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Radiology Department, Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM), Lausanne University and University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ernst-Wilhelm Radue
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, Translational Imaging in Neurology Basel, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jens Kuhle
- Departments of Medicine, Clinical Research and Biomedical Engineering Neurologic Clinic and Policlinic, Switzerland, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ludwig Kappos
- Departments of Medicine, Clinical Research and Biomedical Engineering Neurologic Clinic and Policlinic, Switzerland, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Cristina Granziera
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, Translational Imaging in Neurology Basel, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Departments of Medicine, Clinical Research and Biomedical Engineering Neurologic Clinic and Policlinic, Switzerland, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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35
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Bouhrara M, Kim RW, Khattar N, Qian W, Bergeron CM, Melvin D, Zukley LM, Ferrucci L, Resnick SM, Spencer RG. Age-related estimates of aggregate g-ratio of white matter structures assessed using quantitative magnetic resonance neuroimaging. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:2362-2373. [PMID: 33595168 PMCID: PMC8090765 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The g‐ratio, defined as the inner‐to‐outer diameter of a myelinated axon, is associated with the speed of nerve impulse conduction, and represents an index of axonal myelination and integrity. It has been shown to be a sensitive and specific biomarker of neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration. However, there have been very few magnetic resonance imaging studies of the g‐ratio in the context of normative aging; characterizing regional and time‐dependent cerebral changes in g‐ratio in cognitively normal subjects will be a crucial step in differentiating normal from abnormal microstructural alterations. In the current study, we investigated age‐related differences in aggregate g‐ratio, that is, g‐ratio averaged over all fibers within regions of interest, in several white matter regions in a cohort of 52 cognitively unimpaired participants ranging in age from 21 to 84 years. We found a quadratic, U‐shaped, relationship between aggregate g‐ratio and age in most cerebral regions investigated, suggesting myelin maturation until middle age followed by a decrease at older ages. As expected, we observed that these age‐related differences vary across different brain regions, with the frontal lobes and parietal lobes exhibiting slightly earlier ages of minimum aggregate g‐ratio as compared to more posterior structures such as the occipital lobes and temporal lobes; this agrees with the retrogenesis paradigm. Our results provide evidence for a nonlinear association between age and aggregate g‐ratio in a sample of adults from a highly controlled population. Finally, sex differences in aggregate g‐ratio were observed in several cerebral regions, with women exhibiting overall lower values as compared to men; this likely reflects the greater myelin content in women's brain, in agreement with recent investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustapha Bouhrara
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Richard W Kim
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Nikkita Khattar
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Wenshu Qian
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Christopher M Bergeron
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Denise Melvin
- Clinical Research Core, Office of the Scientific Director, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Linda M Zukley
- Clinical Research Core, Office of the Scientific Director, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Luigi Ferrucci
- Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Susan M Resnick
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Richard G Spencer
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Mohammadi S, Callaghan MF. Towards in vivo g-ratio mapping using MRI: Unifying myelin and diffusion imaging. J Neurosci Methods 2021; 348:108990. [PMID: 33129894 PMCID: PMC7840525 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The g-ratio, quantifying the comparative thickness of the myelin sheath encasing an axon, is a geometrical invariant that has high functional relevance because of its importance in determining neuronal conduction velocity. Advances in MRI data acquisition and signal modelling have put in vivo mapping of the g-ratio, across the entire white matter, within our reach. This capacity would greatly increase our knowledge of the nervous system: how it functions, and how it is impacted by disease. NEW METHOD This is the second review on the topic of g-ratio mapping using MRI. RESULTS This review summarizes the most recent developments in the field, while also providing methodological background pertinent to aggregate g-ratio weighted mapping, and discussing pitfalls associated with these approaches. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Using simulations based on recently published data, this review reveals caveats to the state-of-the-art calibration methods that have been used for in vivo g-ratio mapping. It highlights the need to estimate both the slope and offset of the relationship between these MRI-based markers and the true myelin volume fraction if we are really to achieve the goal of precise, high sensitivity g-ratio mapping in vivo. Other challenges discussed in this review further evidence the need for gold standard measurements of human brain tissue from ex vivo histology. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the quest to find the most appropriate MRI biomarkers to enable in vivo g-ratio mapping is ongoing, with the full potential of many novel techniques yet to be investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siawoosh Mohammadi
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Martina F Callaghan
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK
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Qian W, Khattar N, Cortina LE, Spencer RG, Bouhrara M. Nonlinear associations of neurite density and myelin content with age revealed using multicomponent diffusion and relaxometry magnetic resonance imaging. Neuroimage 2020; 223:117369. [PMID: 32931942 PMCID: PMC7775614 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Most magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies investigating the relationship between regional brain myelination or axonal density and aging have relied upon nonspecific methods to probe myelin and axonal content, including diffusion tensor imaging and relaxation time mapping. While these studies have provided pivotal insights into changes in cerebral architecture with aging and pathology, details of the underlying microstructural alterations have not been fully elucidated. In the current study, we used the BMC-mcDESPOT analysis, a direct and specific multicomponent relaxometry method for imaging of myelin water fraction (MWF), a marker of myelin content, and NODDI, an emerging multicomponent diffusion technique, for neurite density index (NDI) imaging, a proxy of axonal density. We investigated age-related differences in MWF and NDI in several white matter brain regions in a cohort of cognitively unimpaired participants over a wide age range. Our results indicate a quadratic, inverted U-shape, relationship between MWF and age in all brain regions investigated, suggesting that myelination continues until middle age followed by a decrease at older ages, in agreement with previous work. We found a similarly complex regional association between NDI and age, with several cerebral structures also exhibiting a quadratic, inverted U-shape, relationship. This novel observation suggests an increase in axonal density until the fourth decade of age followed by a rapid loss at older ages. We also observed that these age-related differences in MWF and NDI vary across different brain regions, as expected. Finally, our study indicates no significant association between MWF and NDI in most cerebral structures investigated, although this association approached significance in a limited number of brain regions, indicating the complementary nature of their information and encouraging further investigation. Overall, we find evidence of nonlinear associations between age and myelin or axonal density in a sample of well-characterized adults, using direct myelin and axonal content imaging methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenshu Qian
- Magnetic Resonance Physics of Aging and Dementia Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Investigations, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, NIA, NIH, 251 Bayview Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Nikkita Khattar
- Magnetic Resonance Physics of Aging and Dementia Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Investigations, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, NIA, NIH, 251 Bayview Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Luis E Cortina
- Magnetic Resonance Physics of Aging and Dementia Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Investigations, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, NIA, NIH, 251 Bayview Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Richard G Spencer
- Magnetic Resonance Physics of Aging and Dementia Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Investigations, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, NIA, NIH, 251 Bayview Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Mustapha Bouhrara
- Magnetic Resonance Physics of Aging and Dementia Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Investigations, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, NIA, NIH, 251 Bayview Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
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Kimpton JA, Batalle D, Barnett ML, Hughes EJ, Chew ATM, Falconer S, Tournier JD, Alexander D, Zhang H, Edwards AD, Counsell SJ. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging assessment of regional white matter maturation in preterm neonates. Neuroradiology 2020; 63:573-583. [PMID: 33123752 PMCID: PMC7966229 DOI: 10.1007/s00234-020-02584-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) studies report altered white matter (WM) development in preterm infants. Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) metrics provide more realistic estimations of neurite architecture in vivo compared with standard diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics. This study investigated microstructural maturation of WM in preterm neonates scanned between 25 and 45 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) with normal neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2 years using DTI and NODDI metrics. Methods Thirty-one neonates (n = 17 male) with median (range) gestational age (GA) 32+1 weeks (24+2–36+4) underwent 3 T brain MRI at median (range) post menstrual age (PMA) 35+2 weeks (25+3–43+1). WM tracts (cingulum, fornix, corticospinal tract (CST), inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), optic radiations) were delineated using constrained spherical deconvolution and probabilistic tractography in MRtrix3. DTI and NODDI metrics were extracted for the whole tract and cross-sections along each tract to assess regional development. Results PMA at scan positively correlated with fractional anisotropy (FA) in the CST, fornix and optic radiations and neurite density index (NDI) in the cingulum, CST and fornix and negatively correlated with mean diffusivity (MD) in all tracts. A multilinear regression model demonstrated PMA at scan influenced all diffusion measures, GA and GAxPMA at scan influenced FA, MD and NDI and gender affected NDI. Cross-sectional analyses revealed asynchronous WM maturation within and between WM tracts.). Conclusion We describe normal WM maturation in preterm neonates with normal neurodevelopmental outcomes. NODDI can enhance our understanding of WM maturation compared with standard DTI metrics alone. Supplementary Information The online version of this article (10.1007/s00234-020-02584-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Kimpton
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK
| | - D Batalle
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK.,Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - M L Barnett
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK
| | - E J Hughes
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK
| | - A T M Chew
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK
| | - S Falconer
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK
| | - J D Tournier
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK
| | - D Alexander
- Department of Computer Science and Centre for Medical Imaging Computing, University College London, London, UK
| | - H Zhang
- Department of Computer Science and Centre for Medical Imaging Computing, University College London, London, UK
| | - A D Edwards
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK
| | - S J Counsell
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK.
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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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