Abstract #3139

Explicit Formula for Diffusion Orientation Distribution Function Using a Kurtosis Approximation

Jens H. Jensen¹,², Ali Tabesh¹,², Joseph A. Helpern¹,²

¹Radiology and Radiological Science, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; ²Center for Biomedical Imaging, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States

The diffusion orientation distribution function (dODF) can be used to estimate the directions of axonal fiber bundles and may be combined with white matter fiber tractography algorithms. Here a new analytical representation for the dODF is presented that includes the leading non-Gaussian corrections through the diffusional kurtosis tensor. By using numerical simulations, it is shown that including the non-Gaussian corrections both improves the accuracy of the predicted fiber bundle directions and allows for the direct quantification of intra-voxel fiber crossings. This explicit formula for the dODF may be of utility when diffusional kurtosis imaging data is available.