Meeting Banner
Abstract #0656

Fixel-based analysis of aging white matter reveals selective fiber-specific degeneration

Ana Han1, Jordan A. Chad1,2, Thijs Dhollander3, and J. Jean Chen1,2
1Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada, 2Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, 3Developmental Imaging, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia

Synopsis

White matter (WM) microstructural aging is often studied with diffusion MRI via voxelwise metrics such as fractional anisotropy (FA). Decreasing FA with advancing age is frequently interpreted as WM microstructural degeneration, but relying on FA for this purpose only makes sense if a voxel contains a single fiber tract. In this work we use fixel-based analysis (FBA) to investigate the association of fiber-specific measures with age among each individual "fixel" within a voxel. We find intra-voxel differences in age associations of crossing fixels, demonstrating that traditional voxel-based analyses are inappropriate for probing age-related fiber degeneration in scenarios of multi-fiber crossings.

How to access this content:

For one year after publication, abstracts and videos are only open to registrants of this annual meeting. Registrants should use their existing login information. Non-registrant access can be purchased via the ISMRM E-Library.

After one year, current ISMRM & ISMRT members get free access to both the abstracts and videos. Non-members and non-registrants must purchase access via the ISMRM E-Library.

After two years, the meeting proceedings (abstracts) are opened to the public and require no login information. Videos remain behind password for access by members, registrants and E-Library customers.

Click here for more information on becoming a member.

Keywords