Meeting Banner
Abstract #3468

Comparison between the single-compartment and two-compartment parameters derived from diffusion kurtosis imaging in assessing the axon growth

Xianjun Li 1,2 , Jie Gao 1 , Qinli Sun 1 , Yanyan Li 1 , Huan Li 1 , Mingxi Wan 2 , and Jian Yang 1,2

1 Radiology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China, 2 Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

The purpose of this study was to compare the performances of the single-compartment and the two-compartment parameters of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) in assessing the axon growth. In this study, 22 healthy term neonates (11 males and 11 females) and 22 healthy adults (11 males and 11 females) were examined. Fourteen regions of interests (ROIs) were selected by using the atlas-based analysis. Inter-group differences of the regional values were tested by using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. This DKI study investigated changes of the intra-axonal and extra-axonal diffusivities, as well as the single-compartment fractional anisotropy (FA) through the comparison between the neonates and adults. FA increased by 105.16 % in the adults, compared with that in neonates. The relative decrease of extra-axonal radial diffusivity was 24.88 %. Few significant changes of extra-axonal axial diffusivity were found. Intra-axonal diffusivity demonstrated largest relative changes in adults (261.21 %). This result was in agreement with the fact that the myelinated axon was more than twice the axon caliber of the unmyelinated axon. In conclusion, the intra-axonal diffusivity was a sensitive biomarker for the assessment of the axon growth. White matter model for DKI provided more detail information for investigating the white matter development.

This abstract and the presentation materials are available to members only; a login is required.

Join Here