Abstract #4787

Impacts of diffusion MRI spatial resolutionon on the short-range association fiber reconstruction and connectivity estimation

Jialan Zheng^1,2, Cong Yang³, Wen Zhong¹, Ziang Wang⁴, Haoxiang Li¹, Zihan Li¹, Mingxuan Liu¹, Hongjia Yang¹, Xiaozhi Cao⁵, Congyu Liao⁵, David H. Salat^6,7, Susie Y. Huang^6,7, and Qiyuan Tian^1,3

¹School of Biomedical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, ²Tanwei College, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, ³Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, ⁴Tsinghua Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, ⁵Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States, ⁶Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States, ⁷Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States

Synopsis

Keywords: Structural Connectivity, Brain Connectivity, Short-range Association Fibers

Motivation: Short-range association fibers (SAFs) are essential for mediating cortico-cortical communication. However, their accurate mapping requires high-resolution diffusion MRI data since SAFs reside in a ~1.5mm thin layer beneath the cortex.

Goal(s): Clarify impact of diffusion image resolution on the estimation of SAFs and connectivity.

Approach: Simulated and empirical diffusion data at different resolutions were obtained for reconstructing structural connectivity matrices. SAF connectivity strength was quantified and compared. The volume fraction and fiber orientation of local SAFs were examined.

Results: Lower image spatial-resolution leads to disorganized SAF orientation, decreased voxel-wise white matter volume fraction, and underestimation of SAF connectivity strength.

Impact: This study demonstrates the poor reconstruction result of SAFs at low resolution, emphasizing the need for high-resolution diffusion imaging for accurately SAF modeling. The gSlider protocol presented in the study could be an ideal choice for SAFs research.

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