Silvia De Santis1, Tim Vivian-Griffiths1, Sonya Bells1, Yaniv Assaf2, Sean Deoni3, Derek K. Jones1
1CUBRIC, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; 2Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; 3Brown University, United States
In this work, we develop an efficient and clinically-applicable protocol that provides comprehensive assessment of WM microstructure, providing not only estimates of FA, but also of the attributes of WM that drive differences in FA. Combining relaxometric and diffusion acquisition maps, the axonal diameter distribution can be obtained with a clinical setup. The resulting protocol comprehensively characterizes WM features (AD, myelination, axon density), overcoming the lack of specificity of DTI measures and thus allowing specific conclusions to be drawn when looking at group differences.