An Efficient Protocol for Comprehensive Assessment of White Matter Microstructure by Combining Relaxation and Diffusion in One Model

Silvia De Santis¹, Tim Vivian-Griffiths¹, Sonya Bells¹, Yaniv Assaf², Sean Deoni³, Derek K. Jones¹

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.