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Data for evaluation of fast kurtosis strategies, b-value optimization and exploration of diffusion MRI contrast.

ABSTRACT: Here we describe and provide diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) data that was acquired in neural tissue and a physical phantom. Data acquired in biological tissue includes: fixed rat brain (acquired at 9.4?T) and spinal cord (acquired at 16.4?T) and in normal human brain (acquired at 3?T). This data was recently used for evaluation of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) contrasts and for comparison to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameter contrast. The data has also been used to optimize b-values for ex vivo and in vivo fast kurtosis imaging. The remaining data was obtained in a physical phantom with three orthogonal fiber orientations (fresh asparagus stems) for exploration of the kurtosis fractional anisotropy. However, the data may have broader interest and, collectively, may form the basis for image contrast exploration and simulations based on a wide range of dMRI analysis strategies.

SUBMITTER: Hansen B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5004585 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Data for evaluation of fast kurtosis strategies, b-value optimization and exploration of diffusion MRI contrast.

Hansen Brian B Jespersen Sune Nørhøj SN

Scientific data 20160830

Here we describe and provide diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) data that was acquired in neural tissue and a physical phantom. Data acquired in biological tissue includes: fixed rat brain (acquired at 9.4 T) and spinal cord (acquired at 16.4 T) and in normal human brain (acquired at 3 T). This data was recently used for evaluation of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) contrasts and for comparison to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameter contrast. The data has also been used to optimiz ...[more]

PMID: 27576023

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Project description:Advances in biophysical multi-compartment modeling for diffusion MRI (dMRI) have gained popularity because of greater specificity than DTI in relating the dMRI signal to underlying cellular microstructure. A large range of these diffusion microstructure models have been developed and each of the popular models comes with its own, often different, optimization algorithm, noise model and initialization strategy to estimate its parameter maps. Since data fit, accuracy and precision is hard to verify, this creates additional challenges to comparability and generalization of results from diffusion microstructure models. In addition, non-linear optimization is computationally expensive leading to very long run times, which can be prohibitive in large group or population studies. In this technical note we investigate the performance of several optimization algorithms and initialization strategies over a few of the most popular diffusion microstructure models, including NODDI and CHARMED. We evaluate whether a single well performing optimization approach exists that could be applied to many models and would equate both run time and fit aspects. All models, algorithms and strategies were implemented on the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to remove run time constraints, with which we achieve whole brain dataset fits in seconds to minutes. We then evaluated fit, accuracy, precision and run time for different models of differing complexity against three common optimization algorithms and three parameter initialization strategies. Variability of the achieved quality of fit in actual data was evaluated on ten subjects of each of two population studies with a different acquisition protocol. We find that optimization algorithms and multi-step optimization approaches have a considerable influence on performance and stability over subjects and over acquisition protocols. The gradient-free Powell conjugate-direction algorithm was found to outperform other common algorithms in terms of run time, fit, accuracy and precision. Parameter initialization approaches were found to be relevant especially for more complex models, such as those involving several fiber orientations per voxel. For these, a fitting cascade initializing or fixing parameter values in a later optimization step from simpler models in an earlier optimization step further improved run time, fit, accuracy and precision compared to a single step fit. This establishes and makes available standards by which robust fit and accuracy can be achieved in shorter run times. This is especially relevant for the use of diffusion microstructure modeling in large group or population studies and in combining microstructure parameter maps with tractography results.

Project description:White matter tract integrity (WMTI) can characterize brain microstructure in areas with highly aligned fiber bundles. Several WMTI biomarkers have now been validated against microscopy and provided promising results in studies of brain development and aging, as well as in a number of brain disorders. Currently, WMTI is mostly used in dedicated animal studies and clinical studies of slowly progressing diseases, and has not yet emerged as a routine clinical tool. To this end, a less data intensive experimental method would be beneficial by enabling high resolution validation studies, and ease clinical applications by speeding up data acquisition compared with typical diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) protocols utilized as part of WMTI imaging. Here, we evaluate WMTI based on recently introduced axially symmetric DKI, which has lower data demand than conventional DKI. We compare WMTI parameters derived from conventional DKI with those calculated analytically from axially symmetric DKI. We employ numerical simulations, as well as data from fixed rat spinal cord (one sample) and in vivo human (three subjects) and rat brain (four animals). Our analysis shows that analytical WMTI based on axially symmetric DKI with sparse data sets (19 images) produces WMTI metrics that correlate strongly with estimates based on traditional DKI data sets (60 images or more). We demonstrate the preclinical potential of the proposed WMTI technique in in vivo rat brain (300 ?m isotropic resolution with whole brain coverage in a 1 h acquisition). WMTI parameter estimates are subject to a duality leading to two solution branches dependent on a sign choice, which is currently debated. Results from both of these branches are presented and discussed throughout our analysis. The proposed fast WMTI approach may be useful for preclinical research and e.g. clinical evaluation of patients with traumatic white matter injuries or symptoms of neurovascular or neuroinflammatory disorders.

Dataset Information

Data for evaluation of fast kurtosis strategies, b-value optimization and exploration of diffusion MRI contrast.

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Data for evaluation of fast kurtosis strategies, b-value optimization and exploration of diffusion MRI contrast.

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