Title :
Detection of multiple pathways in the spinal cord white matter using q-ball imaging
Author :
Cohen-Adad, J. ; Descoteaux, M. ; Rossignol, S. ; Hoge, R.D. ; Deriche, R. ; Benali, H.
Author_Institution :
INSERM U678, Univ. Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI), Paris
Abstract :
High angular resolution MRI such as q-ball imaging (QBI) allows to recover complex white matter architecture. We applied this technique to an ex vivo spinal cord of one cat using a 3T scanner, 100 directions and b-values varying from 1000 to 3000 s/mm2. As a result, QBI can retrieve crossing fibre information, where the diffusion tensor imaging approach is constrained to a single diffusion direction. To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating the benefits of QBI in observing longitudinal, commissural and dorso-ventral fibres in the spinal cord. It is a first step towards in vivo characterization of the healthy and injured spinal cord using high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) and QBI.
Keywords :
biomedical MRI; brain; medical image processing; neurophysiology; wounds; 3T scanner; b-values; commissural fibre; complex white matter architecture; crossing fibre information; diffusion tensor imaging; dorso-ventral fibre; high angular resolution MRI; high angular resolution diffusion imaging; longitudinal fibre; multiple pathways detection; q-ball imaging; spinal cord white matter; Biomedical imaging; Diffusion tensor imaging; High-resolution imaging; Image resolution; Image retrieval; Information retrieval; Magnetic resonance imaging; Optical imaging; Sampling methods; Spinal cord; Diffusion tensor imaging; high angular resolution imaging; q-ball; spinal cord; white matter;
Conference_Titel :
Biomedical Imaging: From Nano to Macro, 2008. ISBI 2008. 5th IEEE International Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Paris
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-2002-5
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-2003-2
DOI :
10.1109/ISBI.2008.4541091