WHITE MATTER ARCHITECTURE FROM DIFFUSION MRI

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The overarching goal of the White Matter Architecture core is to pursue technological developments that improve the understanding of white matter anatomy. Such understanding, particularly owing to the small dimension of the neural pathways relative to current imaging resolution, is vital to developing novel methods and techniques for the analysis of anatomical structures, and for the application of those analyses to understanding neural diseases. This information naturally complements atlas information obtained from standard structural analysis. The clinical objective is to detect and localize white matter brain abnormalities in schizophrenia using techniques in diffusion MRI and post-process imaging, although we expect that the methods developed will be applicable to a broad range of white matter disease. To address the issue of white matter structure and abnormalities, we have developed a new technology for analyzing white matter along with tools for visualization and interactive exploration of 3D diffusion MRI data. In addition to supporting the specific needs of this core, these tools have been applied directly to the early detection of white matter damage in the developing infant brain; exploration and characterization of white matter disruptions caused by MS lesions; and visualization of important white matter fiber tracts during neurosurgical procedures (e.g., the cortical spinal tract connecting the motor cortex with the lower motor centers of the spinal cord.)