Comparison Study of Two DTI Tractography Methods for Quantifying Brain Structural Connectivity

Qing Ji¹, John O. Glass², Wilburn E. Reddick¹

In this study, deterministic and probabilistic tractography algorithms for measuring brain structural connectivity were quantitatively evaluated on data from 8 healthy subjects. Eighty-two brain anatomic structures were obtained on each subject using FreeSurfer and connections between these structures were calculated by both tractography techniques. Neuroanatomical connectivity metrics between the two tractography methods were significantly correlated and fiber tracks from the deterministic algorithm were spatially similar to fiber probability distributions created using the probabilistic algorithm. While there was a high degree of correspondence between the approaches, the probabilistic algorithm provides more connections among brain structures and the additional information of uncertainty.