Abstract #0898

Towards a Connectome Mapping Pipeline for Neonates Using High-Resolution MP2RAGE and DTI

Andreina Pauli¹, Juliane Schneider², Meritxell Bach Cuadra,¹³, Alessandra Griffa,¹³, Elda Fischi Gomez³, Reto Meuli¹, Jean-Philippe Thiran,¹³, Anita C. Truttmann², Patric Hagmann,¹³

¹Department of Radiology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; ²Clinic of Neonatology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; ³Signal Processing Laboratory (LTS5), Ecole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland

Mapping the human connectome in neonates is a real technical challenge in many respects. We use high resolution MP2RAGE and a combination of freely available tools to segment and partition the cortex automatically. In combination with DTI tractography, the brain segmentation is used to map the neonatal connectome. Our connectome mapping pipeline is tailored for neonatal images and allows us to calculate a structural connectivity matrix, while exploiting the advantages of MP2RAGE sequence.