1
|
Magdoom KN, Avram AV, Sarlls JE, Dario G, Basser PJ. A novel framework for in-vivo diffusion tensor distribution MRI of the human brain. Neuroimage 2023; 271:120003. [PMID: 36907281 PMCID: PMC10468712 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural tissue microstructure plays an important role in developmental, physiological and pathophysiological processes. Diffusion tensor distribution (DTD) MRI helps probe subvoxel heterogeneity by describing water diffusion within a voxel using an ensemble of non-exchanging compartments characterized by a probability density function of diffusion tensors. In this study, we provide a new framework for acquiring multiple diffusion encoding (MDE) images and estimating DTD from them in the human brain in vivo. We interfused pulsed field gradients (iPFG) in a single spin echo to generate arbitrary b-tensors of rank one, two, or three without introducing concomitant gradient artifacts. Employing well-defined diffusion encoding parameters we show that iPFG retains salient features of a traditional multiple-PFG (mPFG/MDE) sequence while reducing the echo time and coherence pathway artifacts thereby extending its applications beyond DTD MRI. Our DTD is a maximum entropy tensor-variate normal distribution whose tensor random variables are constrained to be positive definite to ensure their physicality. In each voxel, the second-order mean and fourth-order covariance tensors of the DTD are estimated using a Monte Carlo method that synthesizes micro-diffusion tensors with corresponding size, shape, and orientation distributions to best fit the measured MDE images. From these tensors we obtain the spectrum of diffusion tensor ellipsoid sizes and shapes, and the microscopic orientation distribution function (μODF) and microscopic fractional anisotropy (μFA) that disentangle the underlying heterogeneity within a voxel. Using the DTD-derived μODF, we introduce a new method to perform fiber tractography capable of resolving complex fiber configurations. The results revealed microscopic anisotropy in various gray and white matter regions and skewed MD distributions in cerebellar gray matter not observed previously. DTD MRI tractography captured complex white matter fiber organization consistent with known anatomy. DTD MRI also resolved some degeneracies associated with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and elucidated the source of diffusion heterogeneity which may help improve the diagnosis of various neurological diseases and disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kulam Najmudeen Magdoom
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA; Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) Inc., Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Alexandru V Avram
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA; Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) Inc., Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Joelle E Sarlls
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Gasbarra Dario
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Peter J Basser
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pizzolato M, Canales-Rodríguez EJ, Andersson M, Dyrby TB. Axial and radial axonal diffusivities and radii from single encoding strongly diffusion-weighted MRI. Med Image Anal 2023; 86:102767. [PMID: 36867913 DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2023.102767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
We enable the estimation of the per-axon axial diffusivity from single encoding, strongly diffusion-weighted, pulsed gradient spin echo data. Additionally, we improve the estimation of the per-axon radial diffusivity compared to estimates based on spherical averaging. The use of strong diffusion weightings in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows to approximate the signal in white matter as the sum of the contributions from only axons. At the same time, spherical averaging leads to a major simplification of the modeling by removing the need to explicitly account for the unknown distribution of axonal orientations. However, the spherically averaged signal acquired at strong diffusion weightings is not sensitive to the axial diffusivity, which cannot therefore be estimated although needed for modeling axons - especially in the context of multi-compartmental modeling. We introduce a new general method for the estimation of both the axial and radial axonal diffusivities at strong diffusion weightings based on kernel zonal modeling. The method could lead to estimates that are free from partial volume bias with gray matter or other isotropic compartments. The method is tested on publicly available data from the MGH Adult Diffusion Human Connectome project. We report reference values of axonal diffusivities based on 34 subjects, and derive estimates of axonal radii from only two shells. The estimation problem is also addressed from the angle of the required data preprocessing, the presence of biases related to modeling assumptions, current limitations, and future possibilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Pizzolato
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark; Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | | | - Mariam Andersson
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tim B Dyrby
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark; Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Afzali M, Mueller L, Sakaie K, Hu S, Chen Y, Szczepankiewicz F, Griswold MA, Jones DK, Ma D. MR Fingerprinting with b-Tensor Encoding for Simultaneous Quantification of Relaxation and Diffusion in a Single Scan. Magn Reson Med 2022; 88:2043-2057. [PMID: 35713357 PMCID: PMC9420788 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Although both relaxation and diffusion imaging are sensitive to tissue microstructure, studies have reported limited sensitivity and robustness of using relaxation or conventional diffusion alone to characterize tissue microstructure. Recently, it has been shown that tensor-valued diffusion encoding and joint relaxation-diffusion quantification enable more reliable quantification of compartment-specific microstructural properties. However, scan times to acquire such data can be prohibitive. Here, we aim to simultaneously quantify relaxation and diffusion using MR fingerprinting (MRF) and b-tensor encoding in a clinically feasible time. METHODS We developed multidimensional MRF scans (mdMRF) with linear and spherical b-tensor encoding (LTE and STE) to simultaneously quantify T1, T2, and ADC maps from a single scan. The image quality, accuracy, and scan efficiency were compared between the mdMRF using LTE and STE. Moreover, we investigated the robustness of different sequence designs to signal errors and their impact on the maps. RESULTS T1 and T2 maps derived from the mdMRF scans have consistently high image quality, while ADC maps are sensitive to different sequence designs. Notably, the fast imaging steady state precession (FISP)-based mdMRF scan with peripheral pulse gating provides the best ADC maps that are free of image distortion and shading artifacts. CONCLUSION We demonstrated the feasibility of quantifying T1, T2, and ADC maps simultaneously from a single mdMRF scan in around 24 s/slice. The map quality and quantitative values are consistent with the reference scans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Afzali
- Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic MedicineUniversity of Leeds
LeedsUK
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Lars Mueller
- Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic MedicineUniversity of Leeds
LeedsUK
| | - Ken Sakaie
- Imaging Institute, Cleveland ClinicClevelandOhioUSA
| | - Siyuan Hu
- Biomedical EngineeringCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandOhioUSA
| | - Yong Chen
- RadiologyCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandOhioUSA
| | | | | | - Derek K. Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Dan Ma
- Biomedical EngineeringCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandOhioUSA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Theaud G, Edde M, Dumont M, Zotti C, Zucchelli M, Deslauriers-Gauthier S, Deriche R, Jodoin PM, Descoteaux M. DORIS: A diffusion MRI-based 10 tissue class deep learning segmentation algorithm tailored to improve anatomically-constrained tractography. FRONTIERS IN NEUROIMAGING 2022; 1:917806. [PMID: 37555143 PMCID: PMC10406193 DOI: 10.3389/fnimg.2022.917806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
Modern tractography algorithms such as anatomically-constrained tractography (ACT) are based on segmentation maps of white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). These maps are generally estimated from a T1-weighted (T1w) image and then registered in diffusion weighted images (DWI) space. Registration of T1w to diffusion space and partial volume estimation are challenging and rarely voxel-perfect. Diffusion-based segmentation would, thus, potentially allow not to have higher quality anatomical priors injected in the tractography process. On the other hand, even if FA-based tractography is possible without T1 registration, the literature shows that this technique suffers from multiple issues such as holes in the tracking mask and a high proportion of generated broken and anatomically implausible streamlines. Therefore, there is an important need for a tissue segmentation algorithm that works directly in the native diffusion space. We propose DORIS, a DWI-based deep learning segmentation algorithm. DORIS outputs 10 different tissue classes including WM, GM, CSF, ventricles, and 6 other subcortical structures (putamen, pallidum, hippocampus, caudate, amygdala, and thalamus). DORIS was trained and validated on a wide range of subjects, including 1,000 individuals from 22 to 90 years old from clinical and research DWI acquisitions, from 5 public databases. In the absence of a "true" ground truth in diffusion space, DORIS used a silver standard strategy from Freesurfer output registered onto the DWI. This strategy is extensively evaluated and discussed in the current study. Segmentation maps provided by DORIS are quantitatively compared to Freesurfer and FSL-fast and the impacts on tractography are evaluated. Overall, we show that DORIS is fast, accurate, and reproducible and that DORIS-based tractograms produce bundles with a longer mean length and fewer anatomically implausible streamlines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Theaud
- Sherbrooke Connectivity Imaging Laboratory (SCIL), Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
- Imeka Solutions Inc., Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Manon Edde
- Sherbrooke Connectivity Imaging Laboratory (SCIL), Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | | | | | - Mauro Zucchelli
- Athena Project-Team, Inria Sophia Antipolis-Méditerranée, Université Côte D'Azur, Nice, France
| | | | - Rachid Deriche
- Athena Project-Team, Inria Sophia Antipolis-Méditerranée, Université Côte D'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Pierre-Marc Jodoin
- Imeka Solutions Inc., Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
- Videos & Images Theory and Analytics Laboratory (VITAL), Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Maxime Descoteaux
- Sherbrooke Connectivity Imaging Laboratory (SCIL), Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
- Imeka Solutions Inc., Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Karan P, Reymbaut A, Gilbert G, Descoteaux M. Bridging the gap between constrained spherical deconvolution and diffusional variance decomposition via tensor-valued diffusion MRI. Med Image Anal 2022; 79:102476. [DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2022.102476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
6
|
Brabec J, Durmo F, Szczepankiewicz F, Brynolfsson P, Lampinen B, Rydelius A, Knutsson L, Westin CF, Sundgren PC, Nilsson M. Separating Glioma Hyperintensities From White Matter by Diffusion-Weighted Imaging With Spherical Tensor Encoding. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:842242. [PMID: 35527815 PMCID: PMC9069143 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.842242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tumor-related hyperintensities in high b-value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) are radiologically important in the workup of gliomas. However, the white matter may also appear as hyperintense, which may conflate interpretation. Purpose To investigate whether DWI with spherical b-tensor encoding (STE) can be used to suppress white matter and enhance the conspicuity of glioma hyperintensities unrelated to white matter. Materials and Methods Twenty-five patients with a glioma tumor and at least one pathology-related hyperintensity on DWI underwent conventional MRI at 3 T. The DWI was performed both with linear and spherical tensor encoding (LTE-DWI and STE-DWI). The LTE-DWI here refers to the DWI obtained with conventional diffusion encoding and averaged across diffusion-encoding directions. Retrospectively, the differences in contrast between LTE-DWI and STE-DWI, obtained at a b-value of 2,000 s/mm2, were evaluated by comparing hyperintensities and contralateral normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) both visually and quantitatively in terms of the signal intensity ratio (SIR) and contrast-to-noise ratio efficiency (CNReff). Results The spherical tensor encoding DWI was more effective than LTE-DWI at suppressing signals from white matter and improved conspicuity of pathology-related hyperintensities. The median SIR improved in all cases and on average by 28%. The median (interquartile range) SIR was 1.9 (1.6 – 2.1) for STE and 1.4 (1.3 – 1.7) for LTE, with a significant difference of 0.4 (0.3 –0.5) (p < 10–4, paired U-test). In 40% of the patients, the SIR was above 2 for STE-DWI, but with LTE-DWI, the SIR was below 2 for all patients. The CNReff of STE-DWI was significantly higher than of LTE-DWI: 2.5 (2 – 3.5) vs. 2.3 (1.7 – 3.1), with a significant difference of 0.4 (−0.1 –0.6) (p < 10–3, paired U-test). The STE improved CNReff in 70% of the cases. We illustrate the benefits of STE-DWI in three patients, where STE-DWI may facilitate an improved radiological description of tumor-related hyperintensity, including one case that could have been missed out if only LTE-DWI was inspected. Conclusion The contrast mechanism of high b-value STE-DWI results in a stronger suppression of white matter than conventional LTE-DWI, and may, therefore, be more sensitive and specific for assessment of glioma tumors and DWI-hyperintensities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Brabec
- Medical Radiation Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Jan Brabec,
| | - Faris Durmo
- Diagnostic Radiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Filip Szczepankiewicz
- Diagnostic Radiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Patrik Brynolfsson
- Division of Medical Radiation Physics, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Björn Lampinen
- Medical Radiation Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Anna Rydelius
- Department of Neurology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Linda Knutsson
- 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
| | - Carl-Fredrik Westin
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Pia C. Sundgren
- Diagnostic Radiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Lund University Bioimaging Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Imaging and Physiology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | |
Collapse
|