近年来，我国早产儿数量居高不下，该人群极易受到各种因素的影响而发生脑损伤，其中局灶性白质损伤（PWML）最为常见（发生率超过20%），而PWML所伴随的隐性病变对发育结局具有严重的危害性且不易被探测，因此，“如何揭示隐藏在更广泛脑区的隐性病变”是对该疾病进行诊断与预后评估的重点与难点。针对上述问题，本项目将：1）基于扩散磁共振成像与脑组织结构模型，研究各参量与神经行为学评分的关系，确定刻画PWML隐性病变的关键变量和责任病灶；2）通过量化个体偏离对照人群的程度，实现个体水平的PWML的准确诊断；3）综合考虑发育因素、干预因素以及PWML的发展过程，研究早期预测PWML患儿发育结局的方法。本研究有望推进PWML相关脑病的早期个体化诊断。

The number of preterm neonates appears to remain high in China. These subjects are vulnerable to pathogenic factors and easy to get brain lesions. Punctate white matter lesions (PWML) are very common (the incidence>20%). The silent degeneration associated with PWML is harmful to the outcomes and hard to be detected. To reveal the silent degeneration in the extensive regions is the key for the precise diagnosis and prediction of PWML. This project tries to solve this problem. The main contents are as follow: 1) To characterize the microstructure properties of brain, this project will combine the diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and different tissue models. The key metrics and responsible lesions will be determined through the correlation analysis between metrics and neurological behavior scores. 2) Based on the quantitative analysis between an individual and the control group, individual-based precise diagnosis of PWML will be performed. 3) Factors of the brain development, interventions, and the lesion progress will be studied during the investigation of the outcome prediction for PWML. This project will be beneficial to the early individual diagnosis of diseases associated with PWML.