Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance signals convey information about tissuemicrostructure and cytoarchitecture. In the last years, many models have beenproposed for recovering the diffusion signal and extracting information to constitutenew families of numerical indices. Two main categories of reconstructionmodels can be identied in diusion magnetic resonance imaging (DMRI): ensembleaverage propagator (EAP) models and compartmental models. From both, descriptors can be derived for elucidating the underlying microstructural architecture. While compartmental models indices directly quantify the fraction of dierent cell compartments in each voxel, EAP-derived indices are only a derivative measure and the eect of the dierent microstructural congurations on the indices is still unclear. In this paper, we analyze three EAP indices calculated using the 3D Simple Harmonic Oscillator based Reconstruction and Estimation (3D-SHORE) model and estimate their changes with respect to the principal microstructural configurations. We take advantage of the state of the art simulations to quantify the variations of the indices with the simulation parameters. Analysis of in-vivo data correlates the EAP indices with the microstructural parameters obtained from the Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) model as a pseudo ground truth for brain data. Results show that the EAP derived indices convey information on the tissue microstructure and that their combined values directly reflect the configuration of the different compartments in each voxel.

What lies beneath? Diffusion EAP-based study of brain tissue microstructure

Zucchelli, Mauro;Brusini, Lorenza;DADUCCI, Alessandro;MENEGAZ, Gloria
2016-01-01

Abstract

Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance signals convey information about tissuemicrostructure and cytoarchitecture. In the last years, many models have beenproposed for recovering the diffusion signal and extracting information to constitutenew families of numerical indices. Two main categories of reconstructionmodels can be identied in diusion magnetic resonance imaging (DMRI): ensembleaverage propagator (EAP) models and compartmental models. From both, descriptors can be derived for elucidating the underlying microstructural architecture. While compartmental models indices directly quantify the fraction of dierent cell compartments in each voxel, EAP-derived indices are only a derivative measure and the eect of the dierent microstructural congurations on the indices is still unclear. In this paper, we analyze three EAP indices calculated using the 3D Simple Harmonic Oscillator based Reconstruction and Estimation (3D-SHORE) model and estimate their changes with respect to the principal microstructural configurations. We take advantage of the state of the art simulations to quantify the variations of the indices with the simulation parameters. Analysis of in-vivo data correlates the EAP indices with the microstructural parameters obtained from the Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) model as a pseudo ground truth for brain data. Results show that the EAP derived indices convey information on the tissue microstructure and that their combined values directly reflect the configuration of the different compartments in each voxel.
2016
Diffusion MRI
microstructure imaging
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11562/937805
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