Meeting Banner
Abstract #1665

Challenges of Cortical Connectivity Measurements Using MR Tractography

Ann Sunah Choe1,2, Yurui Gao1,3, Iwona Stepniewska4, Xia Li5, Zhaohua Ding5, Adam W. Anderson1,3

1Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; 2Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; 3Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science , Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; 4Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; 5Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States


Study of anatomical connections often involves tracing fiber bundles to and from cortical areas of interest. The fiber tracking involved in such studies presents some unique problems. One of the challenges is the low diffusion anisotropy in gray matter, and the high directional uncertainty this causes. This problem is often circumvented by placing seed regions within the subcortical white matter, below the target regions of cortex. This approach risks tracking erroneous fibers due to limited spatial resolution and the complex interface between white and gray matter. In this abstract, the risk of such approaches is demonstrated by comparing DTI fiber pathways to histological sections of the corresponding regions.