1
|
Liu Q, Ning L, Shaik IA, Liao C, Gagoski B, Bilgic B, Grissom W, Nielsen JF, Zaitsev M, Rathi Y. Reduced cross-scanner variability using vendor-agnostic sequences for single-shell diffusion MRI. Magn Reson Med 2024; 92:246-256. [PMID: 38469671 PMCID: PMC11055665 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.30062] [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: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE To reduce the inter-scanner variability of diffusion MRI (dMRI) measures between scanners from different vendors by developing a vendor-neutral dMRI pulse sequence using the open-source vendor-agnostic Pulseq platform. METHODS We implemented a standard EPI based dMRI sequence in Pulseq. We tested it on two clinical scanners from different vendors (Siemens Prisma and GE Premier), systematically evaluating and comparing the within- and inter-scanner variability across the vendors, using both the vendor-provided and Pulseq dMRI sequences. Assessments covered both a diffusion phantom and three human subjects, using standard error (SE) and Lin's concordance correlation to measure the repeatability and reproducibility of standard DTI metrics including fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). RESULTS Identical dMRI sequences were executed on both scanners using Pulseq. On the phantom, the Pulseq sequence showed more than a 2.5× reduction in SE (variability) across Siemens and GE scanners. Furthermore, Pulseq sequences exhibited markedly reduced SE in-vivo, maintaining scan-rescan repeatability while delivering lower variability in FA and MD (more than 50% reduction in cortical/subcortical regions) compared to vendor-provided sequences. CONCLUSION The Pulseq diffusion sequence reduces the cross-scanner variability for both phantom and in-vivo data, which will benefit multi-center neuroimaging studies and improve the reproducibility of neuroimaging studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Liu
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lipeng Ning
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Imam Ahmed Shaik
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Congyu Liao
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Borjan Gagoski
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging & Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Berkin Bilgic
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard/MIT Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - William Grissom
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Jon-Fredrik Nielsen
- fMRI Laboratory and Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Maxim Zaitsev
- Division of Medical Physics, Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Yogesh Rathi
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hobbs NZ, Papoutsi M, Delva A, Kinnunen KM, Nakajima M, Van Laere K, Vandenberghe W, Herath P, Scahill RI. Neuroimaging to Facilitate Clinical Trials in Huntington's Disease: Current Opinion from the EHDN Imaging Working Group. J Huntingtons Dis 2024; 13:163-199. [PMID: 38788082 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-240016] [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] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Neuroimaging is increasingly being included in clinical trials of Huntington's disease (HD) for a wide range of purposes from participant selection and safety monitoring, through to demonstration of disease modification. Selection of the appropriate modality and associated analysis tools requires careful consideration. On behalf of the EHDN Imaging Working Group, we present current opinion on the utility and future prospects for inclusion of neuroimaging in HD trials. Covering the key imaging modalities of structural-, functional- and diffusion- MRI, perfusion imaging, positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and magnetoencephalography, we address how neuroimaging can be used in HD trials to: 1) Aid patient selection, enrichment, stratification, and safety monitoring; 2) Demonstrate biodistribution, target engagement, and pharmacodynamics; 3) Provide evidence for disease modification; and 4) Understand brain re-organization following therapy. We also present the challenges of translating research methodology into clinical trial settings, including equipment requirements and cost, standardization of acquisition and analysis, patient burden and invasiveness, and interpretation of results. We conclude, that with appropriate consideration of modality, study design and analysis, imaging has huge potential to facilitate effective clinical trials in HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Z Hobbs
- HD Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Marina Papoutsi
- HD Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
- IXICO plc, London, UK
| | - Aline Delva
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium
| | | | | | - Koen Van Laere
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Division of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wim Vandenberghe
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Schiavi S, Palombo M, Zacà D, Tazza F, Lapucci C, Castellan L, Costagli M, Inglese M. Mapping tissue microstructure across the human brain on a clinical scanner with soma and neurite density image metrics. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:4792-4811. [PMID: 37461286 PMCID: PMC10400787 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26416] [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: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Soma and neurite density image (SANDI) is an advanced diffusion magnetic resonance imaging biophysical signal model devised to probe in vivo microstructural information in the gray matter (GM). This model requires acquisitions that include b values that are at least six times higher than those used in clinical practice. Such high b values are required to disentangle the signal contribution of water diffusing in soma from that diffusing in neurites and extracellular space, while keeping the diffusion time as short as possible to minimize potential bias due to water exchange. These requirements have limited the use of SANDI only to preclinical or cutting-edge human scanners. Here, we investigate the potential impact of neglecting water exchange in the SANDI model and present a 10-min acquisition protocol that enables to characterize both GM and white matter (WM) on 3 T scanners. We implemented analytical simulations to (i) evaluate the stability of the fitting of SANDI parameters when diminishing the number of shells; (ii) estimate the bias due to potential exchange between neurites and extracellular space in such reduced acquisition scheme, comparing it with the bias due to experimental noise. Then, we demonstrated the feasibility and assessed the repeatability and reproducibility of our approach by computing microstructural metrics of SANDI with AMICO toolbox and other state-of-the-art models on five healthy subjects. Finally, we applied our protocol to five multiple sclerosis patients. Results suggest that SANDI is a practical method to characterize WM and GM tissues in vivo on performant clinical scanners.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simona Schiavi
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of GenoaGenoaItaly
| | - Marco Palombo
- CUBRIC, School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- School of Computer Science and InformaticsCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | | | - Francesco Tazza
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of GenoaGenoaItaly
| | - Caterina Lapucci
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of GenoaGenoaItaly
- HNSR, IRRCS Ospedale Policlinico San MartinoGenoaItaly
| | - Lucio Castellan
- Department of NeuroradiologyIRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San MartinoGenoaItaly
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of GenoaGenoaItaly
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic ResonanceIRCCS Stella MarisPisaItaly
| | - Matilde Inglese
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of GenoaGenoaItaly
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San MartinoGenoaItaly
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Tristán-Vega A, Pieciak T, París G, Rodríguez-Galván JR, Aja-Fernández S. HYDI-DSI revisited: Constrained non-parametric EAP imaging without q-space re-gridding. Med Image Anal 2023; 84:102728. [PMID: 36542908 DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2022.102728] [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: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Hybrid Diffusion Imaging (HYDI) was one of the first attempts to use multi-shell samplings of the q-space to infer diffusion properties beyond Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) or High Angular Resolution Diffusion Imaging (HARDI). HYDI was intended as a flexible protocol embedding both DTI (for lower b-values) and HARDI (for higher b-values) processing, as well as Diffusion Spectrum Imaging (DSI) when the entire data set was exploited. In the latter case, the spherical sampling of the q-space is re-gridded by interpolation to a Cartesian lattice whose extent covers the range of acquired b-values, hence being acquisition-dependent. The Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) is afterwards used to compute the corresponding Cartesian sampling of the Ensemble Average Propagator (EAP) in an entirely non-parametric way. From this lattice, diffusion markers such as the Return To Origin Probability (RTOP) or the Mean Squared Displacement (MSD) can be numerically estimated. We aim at re-formulating this scheme by means of a Fourier Transform encoding matrix that eliminates the need for q-space re-gridding at the same time it preserves the non-parametric nature of HYDI-DSI. The encoding matrix is adaptively designed at each voxel according to the underlying DTI approximation, so that an optimal sampling of the EAP can be pursued without being conditioned by the particular acquisition protocol. The estimation of the EAP is afterwards carried out as a regularized Quadratic Programming (QP) problem, which allows to impose positivity constraints that cannot be trivially embedded within the conventional HYDI-DSI. We demonstrate that the definition of the encoding matrix in the adaptive space allows to analytically (as opposed to numerically) compute several popular descriptors of diffusion with the unique source of error being the cropping of high frequency harmonics in the Fourier analysis of the attenuation signal. They include not only RTOP and MSD, but also Return to Axis/Plane Probabilities (RTAP/RTPP), which are defined in terms of specific spatial directions and are not available with the former HYDI-DSI. We report extensive experiments that suggest the benefits of our proposal in terms of accuracy, robustness and computational efficiency, especially when only standard, non-dedicated q-space samplings are available.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tomasz Pieciak
- LPI, ETSI Telecomunicación, Universidad de Valladolid, Spain; AGH University of Science and Technology, Kraków, Poland
| | - Guillem París
- LPI, ETSI Telecomunicación, Universidad de Valladolid, Spain
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
París G, Pieciak T, Aja‐Fernández S, Tristán‐Vega A. Efficient estimation of propagator anisotropy and non-Gaussianity in multishell diffusion MRI with micro-structure adaptive convolution kernels and dual Fourier integral transforms. Magn Reson Med 2023; 89:440-453. [PMID: 36121312 PMCID: PMC9826470 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29435] [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: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE We seek to reformulate the so-called Propagator Anisotropy (PA) and Non-Gaussianity (NG), originally conceived for the Mean Apparent Propagator diffusion MRI (MAP-MRI), to the Micro-Structure adaptive convolution kernels and dual Fourier Integral Transforms (MiSFIT). These measures describe relevant normalized features of the Ensemble Average Propagator (EAP). THEORY AND METHODS First, the indices, which are defined as the EAP's dissimilarity from an isotropic (PA) or a Gaussian (NG) one, are analytically reformulated within the MiSFIT framework. Then a comparison between the resulting maps is drawn by means of a visual analysis, a quantitative assessment via numerical simulations, a test-retest study across the MICRA dataset (6 subjects scanned five times) and, finally, a computational time evaluation. RESULTS Findings illustrate the visual similarity between the indices computed with either technique. Evaluation against synthetic ground truth data, however, demonstrates MiSFIT's improved accuracy. In addition, the test-retest study reveals MiSFIT's higher degree of reliability in most of white matter regions. Finally, the computational time evaluation shows MiSFIT's time reduction up to two orders of magnitude. CONCLUSIONS Despite being a direct development on the MAP-MRI representation, the PA and the NG can be reliably and efficiently computed within MiSFIT's framework. This, together with the previous findings in the original MiSFIT's article, could mean the difference that definitely qualifies diffusion MRI to be incorporated into regular clinical settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guillem París
- Laboratorio de Procesado de Imagen (LPI)Universidad de ValladolidValladolidCastilla y LeónSpain
| | - Tomasz Pieciak
- Laboratorio de Procesado de Imagen (LPI)Universidad de ValladolidValladolidCastilla y LeónSpain,AGH University of Science and TechnologyKrakowPoland
| | - Santiago Aja‐Fernández
- Laboratorio de Procesado de Imagen (LPI)Universidad de ValladolidValladolidCastilla y LeónSpain
| | - Antonio Tristán‐Vega
- Laboratorio de Procesado de Imagen (LPI)Universidad de ValladolidValladolidCastilla y LeónSpain
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Behler A, Lulé D, Ludolph AC, Kassubek J, Müller HP. Longitudinal monitoring of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by diffusion tensor imaging: Power calculations for group studies. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:929151. [PMID: 36117627 PMCID: PMC9479493 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.929151] [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: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can be used to map disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and therefore is a promising candidate for a biomarker in ALS. To this end, longitudinal study protocols need to be optimized and validated regarding group sizes and time intervals between visits. The objective of this study was to assess the influences of sample size, the schedule of follow-up measurements, and measurement uncertainties on the statistical power to optimize longitudinal DTI study protocols in ALS. Patients and methods To estimate the measurement uncertainty of a tract-of–interest-based DTI approach, longitudinal test-retest measurements were applied first to a normal data set. Then, DTI data sets of 80 patients with ALS and 50 healthy participants were analyzed in the simulation of longitudinal trajectories, that is, longitudinal fractional anisotropy (FA) values for follow-up sessions were simulated for synthetic patient and control groups with different rates of FA decrease in the corticospinal tract. Monte Carlo simulations of synthetic longitudinal study groups were used to estimate the statistical power and thus the potentially needed sample sizes for a various number of scans at one visit, different time intervals between baseline and follow-up measurements, and measurement uncertainties. Results From the simulation for different longitudinal FA decrease rates, it was found that two scans per session increased the statistical power in the investigated settings unless sample sizes were sufficiently large and time intervals were appropriately long. The positive effect of a second scan per session on the statistical power was particularly pronounced for FA values with high measurement uncertainty, for which the third scan per session increased the statistical power even further. Conclusion With more than one scan per session, the statistical power of longitudinal DTI studies can be increased in patients with ALS. Consequently, sufficient statistical power can be achieved even with limited sample sizes. An improved longitudinal DTI study protocol contributes to the detection of small changes in diffusion metrics and thereby supports DTI as an applicable and reliable non-invasive biomarker in ALS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Behler
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Dorothée Lulé
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Albert C Ludolph
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.,Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Ulm, Germany
| | - Jan Kassubek
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.,Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Ulm, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Fan Q, Eichner C, Afzali M, Mueller L, Tax CMW, Davids M, Mahmutovic M, Keil B, Bilgic B, Setsompop K, Lee HH, Tian Q, Maffei C, Ramos-Llordén G, Nummenmaa A, Witzel T, Yendiki A, Song YQ, Huang CC, Lin CP, Weiskopf N, Anwander A, Jones DK, Rosen BR, Wald LL, Huang SY. Mapping the Human Connectome using Diffusion MRI at 300 mT/m Gradient Strength: Methodological Advances and Scientific Impact. Neuroimage 2022; 254:118958. [PMID: 35217204 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.118958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tremendous efforts have been made in the last decade to advance cutting-edge MRI technology in pursuit of mapping structural connectivity in the living human brain with unprecedented sensitivity and speed. The first Connectom 3T MRI scanner equipped with a 300 mT/m whole-body gradient system was installed at the Massachusetts General Hospital in 2011 and was specifically constructed as part of the Human Connectome Project. Since that time, numerous technological advances have been made to enable the broader use of the Connectom high gradient system for diffusion tractography and tissue microstructure studies and leverage its unique advantages and sensitivity to resolving macroscopic and microscopic structural information in neural tissue for clinical and neuroscientific studies. The goal of this review article is to summarize the technical developments that have emerged in the last decade to support and promote large-scale and scientific studies of the human brain using the Connectom scanner. We provide a brief historical perspective on the development of Connectom gradient technology and the efforts that led to the installation of three other Connectom 3T MRI scanners worldwide - one in the United Kingdom in Cardiff, Wales, another in Continental Europe in Leipzig, Germany, and the latest in Asia in Shanghai, China. We summarize the key developments in gradient hardware and image acquisition technology that have formed the backbone of Connectom-related research efforts, including the rich array of high-sensitivity receiver coils, pulse sequences, image artifact correction strategies and data preprocessing methods needed to optimize the quality of high-gradient strength dMRI data for subsequent analyses. Finally, we review the scientific impact of the Connectom MRI scanner, including advances in diffusion tractography, tissue microstructural imaging, ex vivo validation, and clinical investigations that have been enabled by Connectom technology. We conclude with brief insights into the unique value of strong gradients for dMRI and where the field is headed in the coming years.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyun Fan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cornelius Eichner
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Maryam Afzali
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK; Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Lars Mueller
- Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Chantal M W Tax
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK; Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Mathias Davids
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Mirsad Mahmutovic
- Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection (IMPS), TH-Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences (THM), Giessen, Germany
| | - Boris Keil
- Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection (IMPS), TH-Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences (THM), Giessen, Germany
| | - Berkin Bilgic
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Kawin Setsompop
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hong-Hsi Lee
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Qiyuan Tian
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Chiara Maffei
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gabriel Ramos-Llordén
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aapo Nummenmaa
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Anastasia Yendiki
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yi-Qiao Song
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Chu-Chung Huang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (MOE & STCSM), Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Ching-Po Lin
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Nikolaus Weiskopf
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.; Felix Bloch Institute for Solid State Physics, Faculty of Physics and Earth Sciences, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alfred Anwander
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Derek K Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Bruce R Rosen
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Lawrence L Wald
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Susie Y Huang
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Cai LY, Yang Q, Kanakaraj P, Nath V, Newton AT, Edmonson HA, Luci J, Conrad BN, Price GR, Hansen CB, Kerley CI, Ramadass K, Yeh FC, Kang H, Garyfallidis E, Descoteaux M, Rheault F, Schilling KG, Landman BA. MASiVar: Multisite, multiscanner, and multisubject acquisitions for studying variability in diffusion weighted MRI. Magn Reson Med 2021; 86:3304-3320. [PMID: 34270123 PMCID: PMC9087815 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Diffusion-weighted imaging allows investigators to identify structural, microstructural, and connectivity-based differences between subjects, but variability due to session and scanner biases is a challenge. METHODS To investigate DWI variability, we present MASiVar, a multisite data set consisting of 319 diffusion scans acquired at 3 T from b = 1000 to 3000 s/mm2 across 14 healthy adults, 83 healthy children (5 to 8 years), three sites, and four scanners as a publicly available, preprocessed, and de-identified data set. With the adult data, we demonstrate the capacity of MASiVar to simultaneously quantify the intrasession, intersession, interscanner, and intersubject variability of four common DWI processing approaches: (1) a tensor signal representation, (2) a multi-compartment neurite orientation dispersion and density model, (3) white-matter bundle segmentation, and (4) structural connectomics. Respectively, we evaluate region-wise fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, and principal eigenvector; region-wise CSF volume fraction, intracellular volume fraction, and orientation dispersion index; bundle-wise shape, volume, fractional anisotropy, and length; and whole connectome correlation and maximized modularity, global efficiency, and characteristic path length. RESULTS We plot the variability in these measures at each level and find that it consistently increases with intrasession to intersession to interscanner to intersubject effects across all processing approaches and that sometimes interscanner variability can approach intersubject variability. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the potential of MASiVar to more globally investigate DWI variability across multiple levels and processing approaches simultaneously and suggests harmonization between scanners for multisite analyses should be considered before inference of group differences on subjects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leon Y. Cai
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Qi Yang
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Praitayini Kanakaraj
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Vishwesh Nath
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Allen T. Newton
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - Jeffrey Luci
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Benjamin N. Conrad
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Gavin R. Price
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Colin B. Hansen
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Cailey I. Kerley
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Karthik Ramadass
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Fang-Cheng Yeh
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Hakmook Kang
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - Maxime Descoteaux
- Department of Computer Science, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Francois Rheault
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Kurt G. Schilling
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Bennett A. Landman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Schilling KG, Tax CM, Rheault F, Hansen C, Yang Q, Yeh FC, Cai L, Anderson AW, Landman BA. Fiber tractography bundle segmentation depends on scanner effects, vendor effects, acquisition resolution, diffusion sampling scheme, diffusion sensitization, and bundle segmentation workflow. Neuroimage 2021; 242:118451. [PMID: 34358660 PMCID: PMC9933001 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
When investigating connectivity and microstructure of white matter pathways of the brain using diffusion tractography bundle segmentation, it is important to understand potential confounds and sources of variation in the process. While cross-scanner and cross-protocol effects on diffusion microstructure measures are well described (in particular fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity), it is unknown how potential sources of variation effect bundle segmentation results, which features of the bundle are most affected, where variability occurs, nor how these sources of variation depend upon the method used to reconstruct and segment bundles. In this study, we investigate six potential sources of variation, or confounds, for bundle segmentation: variation (1) across scan repeats, (2) across scanners, (3) across vendors (4) across acquisition resolution, (5) across diffusion schemes, and (6) across diffusion sensitization. We employ four different bundle segmentation workflows on two benchmark multi-subject cross-scanner and cross-protocol databases, and investigate reproducibility and biases in volume overlap, shape geometry features of fiber pathways, and microstructure features within the pathways. We find that the effects of acquisition protocol, in particular acquisition resolution, result in the lowest reproducibility of tractography and largest variation of features, followed by vendor-effects, scanner-effects, and finally diffusion scheme and b-value effects which had similar reproducibility as scan-rescan variation. However, confounds varied both across pathways and across segmentation workflows, with some bundle segmentation workflows more (or less) robust to sources of variation. Despite variability, bundle dissection is consistently able to recover the same location of pathways in the deep white matter, with variation at the gray matter/ white matter interface. Next, we show that differences due to the choice of bundle segmentation workflows are larger than any other studied confound, with low-to-moderate overlap of the same intended pathway when segmented using different methods. Finally, quantifying microstructure features within a pathway, we show that tractography adds variability over-and-above that which exists due to noise, scanner effects, and acquisition effects. Overall, these confounds need to be considered when harmonizing diffusion datasets, interpreting or combining data across sites, and when attempting to understand the successes and limitations of different methodologies in the design and development of new tractography or bundle segmentation methods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kurt G. Schilling
- Department of Radiology & Radiological Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States,Vanderbilt Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Chantal M.W. Tax
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Francois Rheault
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Colin Hansen
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Qi Yang
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Fang-Cheng Yeh
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, United States
| | - Leon Cai
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Adam W. Anderson
- Department of Radiology & Radiological Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States,Vanderbilt Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Bennett A. Landman
- Department of Radiology & Radiological Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States,Vanderbilt Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States,Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Changes in white matter microstructure and MRI-derived cerebral blood flow after 1-week of exercise training. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22061. [PMID: 34764358 PMCID: PMC8586229 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01630-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Exercise is beneficial for brain health, inducing neuroplasticity and vascular plasticity in the hippocampus, which is possibly mediated by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels. Here we investigated the short-term effects of exercise, to determine if a 1-week intervention is sufficient to induce brain changes. Fifteen healthy young males completed five supervised exercise training sessions over seven days. This was preceded and followed by a multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan (diffusion-weighted MRI, perfusion-weighted MRI, dual-calibrated functional MRI) acquired 1 week apart, and blood sampling for BDNF. A diffusion tractography analysis showed, after exercise, a significant reduction relative to baseline in restricted fraction-an axon-specific metric-in the corpus callosum, uncinate fasciculus, and parahippocampal cingulum. A voxel-based approach found an increase in fractional anisotropy and reduction in radial diffusivity symmetrically, in voxels predominantly localised in the corpus callosum. A selective increase in hippocampal blood flow was found following exercise, with no change in vascular reactivity. BDNF levels were not altered. Thus, we demonstrate that 1 week of exercise is sufficient to induce microstructural and vascular brain changes on a group level, independent of BDNF, providing new insight into the temporal dynamics of plasticity, necessary to exploit the therapeutic potential of exercise.
Collapse
|
11
|
Chamberland M, Genc S, Tax CMW, Shastin D, Koller K, Raven EP, Cunningham A, Doherty J, van den Bree MBM, Parker GD, Hamandi K, Gray WP, Jones DK. Detecting microstructural deviations in individuals with deep diffusion MRI tractometry. NATURE COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE 2021; 1:598-606. [PMID: 35865756 PMCID: PMC7613101 DOI: 10.1038/s43588-021-00126-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Most diffusion magnetic resonance imaging studies of disease rely on statistical comparisons between large groups of patients and healthy participants to infer altered tissue states in the brain; however, clinical heterogeneity can greatly challenge their discriminative power. There is currently an unmet need to move away from the current approach of group-wise comparisons to methods with the sensitivity to detect altered tissue states at the individual level. This would ultimately enable the early detection and interpretation of microstructural abnormalities in individual patients, an important step towards personalized medicine in translational imaging. To this end, Detect was developed to advance diffusion magnetic resonance imaging tractometry towards single-patient analysis. By operating on the manifold of white-matter pathways and learning normative microstructural features, our framework captures idiosyncrasies in patterns along white-matter pathways. Our approach paves the way from traditional group-based comparisons to true personalized radiology, taking microstructural imaging from the bench to the bedside.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Chamberland
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Sila Genc
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Chantal M. W. Tax
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Dmitri Shastin
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, University Hospital of Wales (UHW), Cardiff, UK
| | - Kristin Koller
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Erika P. Raven
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York, NY, USA
| | - Adam Cunningham
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Joanne Doherty
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Marianne B. M. van den Bree
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Greg D. Parker
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Khalid Hamandi
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, University Hospital of Wales (UHW), Cardiff, UK
- Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (BRAIN) Unit, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - William P. Gray
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, University Hospital of Wales (UHW), Cardiff, UK
- Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (BRAIN) Unit, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Derek K. Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Temporal Dynamics of Brain White Matter Plasticity in Sighted Subjects during Tactile Braille Learning: A Longitudinal Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study. J Neurosci 2021; 41:7076-7085. [PMID: 34253624 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2242-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The white matter (WM) architecture of the human brain changes in response to training, though fine-grained temporal characteristics of training-induced white matter plasticity remain unexplored. We investigated white matter microstructural changes using diffusion tensor imaging at five different time points in 26 sighted female adults during 8 months of training on tactile braille reading. Our results show that training-induced white matter plasticity occurs both within and beyond the trained sensory modality, as reflected by fractional anisotropy (FA) increases in somatosensory and visual cortex, respectively. The observed changes followed distinct time courses, with gradual linear FA increase along the training in the somatosensory cortex and sudden visual cortex cross-modal plasticity occurring after braille input became linguistically meaningful. WM changes observed in these areas returned to baseline after the cessation of learning in line with the supply-demand model of plasticity. These results also indicate that the temporal dynamics of microstructural plasticity in different cortical regions might be modulated by the nature of computational demands. We provide additional evidence that observed FA training-induced changes are behaviorally relevant to tactile reading. Together, these results demonstrate that WM plasticity is a highly dynamic process modulated by the introduction of novel experiences.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Throughout the lifetime the human brain is shaped by various experiences. Training-induced reorganization in white matter (WM) microstructure has been reported, but we know little about its temporal dynamics. To fill this gap, we scanned sighted subjects five times during tactile braille reading training. We observed different dynamics of WM plasticity in the somatosensory and visual cortices implicated in braille reading. The former showed a continuous increase in WM tissue anisotropy along with tactile training, while microstructural changes in the latter were observed only after the participants learned to read braille words. Our results confirm the supply-demand model of brain plasticity and provide evidence that WM reorganization depends on distinct computational demands and functional roles of regions involved in the trained skill.
Collapse
|
13
|
Scan-rescan repeatability of axonal imaging metrics using high-gradient diffusion MRI and statistical implications for study design. Neuroimage 2021; 240:118323. [PMID: 34216774 PMCID: PMC8646020 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Axon diameter mapping using diffusion MRI in the living human brain has attracted growing interests with the increasing availability of high gradient strength MRI systems. A systematic assessment of the consistency of axon diameter estimates within and between individuals is needed to gain a comprehensive understanding of how such methods extend to quantifying differences in axon diameter index between groups and facilitate the design of neurobiological studies using such measures. We examined the scan-rescan repeatability of axon diameter index estimation based on the spherical mean technique (SMT) approach using diffusion MRI data acquired with gradient strengths up to 300 mT/m on a 3T Connectom system in 7 healthy volunteers. We performed statistical power analyses using data acquired with the same protocol in a larger cohort consisting of 15 healthy adults to investigate the implications for study design. Results revealed a high degree of repeatability in voxel-wise restricted volume fraction estimates and tract-wise estimates of axon diameter index derived from high-gradient diffusion MRI data. On the region of interest (ROI) level, across white matter tracts in the whole brain, the Pearson’s correlation coefficient of the axon diameter index estimated between scan and rescan experiments was r = 0.72 with an absolute deviation of 0.18 μm. For an anticipated 10% effect size in studies of axon diameter index, most white matter regions required a sample size of less than 15 people to observe a measurable difference between groups using an ROI-based approach. To facilitate the use of high-gradient strength diffusion MRI data for neuroscientific studies of axonal microstructure, the comprehensive multi-gradient strength, multi-diffusion time data used in this work will be made publicly available, in support of open science and increasing the accessibility of such data to the greater scientific community.
Collapse
|