A Quantitative Tractography Approach for Exploring Associations Between White Matter Pathways and Cognitive Functions

Eni Halilaj¹, Stephen Correia², David H. Laidlaw¹, Stephen Salloway³

In this study we use quantitative tractography to explore potential associations between cognitive functions and cerebral white matter pathways. We support inferences made about relationships between working memory, processing speed, motor function, executive function, visual naming and white matter health not only though observed correlations, but also through the lack thereof, in functions expected to rely more heavily on the functional integrity of cortical regions. Quantitative tractography metrics are powerful markers of structural integrity in white matter. Using such metrics, rather than diffusivity scalars, helps us identify underlying correlations between localized white matter atrophy and categorical cognitive decline.