744 research outputs found
Increasing the Analytical Accessibility of Multishell and Diffusion Spectrum Imaging Data Using Generalized Q-Sampling Conversion
Many diffusion MRI researchers, including the Human Connectome Project (HCP),
acquire data using multishell (e.g., WU-Minn consortium) and diffusion spectrum
imaging (DSI) schemes (e.g., USC-Harvard consortium). However, these data sets
are not readily accessible to high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI)
analysis methods that are popular in connectomics analysis. Here we introduce a
scheme conversion approach that transforms multishell and DSI data into their
corresponding HARDI representations, thereby empowering HARDI-based analytical
methods to make use of data acquired using non-HARDI approaches. This method
was evaluated on both phantom and in-vivo human data sets by acquiring
multishell, DSI, and HARDI data simultaneously, and comparing the converted
HARDI, from non-HARDI methods, with the original HARDI data. Analysis on the
phantom shows that the converted HARDI from DSI and multishell data strongly
predicts the original HARDI (correlation coefficient > 0.9). Our in-vivo study
shows that the converted HARDI can be reconstructed by constrained spherical
deconvolution, and the fiber orientation distributions are consistent with
those from the original HARDI. We further illustrate that our scheme conversion
method can be applied to HCP data, and the converted HARDI do not appear to
sacrifice angular resolution. Thus this novel approach can benefit all
HARDI-based analysis approaches, allowing greater analytical accessibility to
non-HARDI data, including data from the HCP
Nonparametric tests of structure for high angular resolution diffusion imaging in Q-space
High angular resolution diffusion imaging data is the observed characteristic
function for the local diffusion of water molecules in tissue. This data is
used to infer structural information in brain imaging. Nonparametric scalar
measures are proposed to summarize such data, and to locally characterize
spatial features of the diffusion probability density function (PDF), relying
on the geometry of the characteristic function. Summary statistics are defined
so that their distributions are, to first-order, both independent of nuisance
parameters and also analytically tractable. The dominant direction of the
diffusion at a spatial location (voxel) is determined, and a new set of axes
are introduced in Fourier space. Variation quantified in these axes determines
the local spatial properties of the diffusion density. Nonparametric hypothesis
tests for determining whether the diffusion is unimodal, isotropic or
multi-modal are proposed. More subtle characteristics of white-matter
microstructure, such as the degree of anisotropy of the PDF and symmetry
compared with a variety of asymmetric PDF alternatives, may be ascertained
directly in the Fourier domain without parametric assumptions on the form of
the diffusion PDF. We simulate a set of diffusion processes and characterize
their local properties using the newly introduced summaries. We show how
complex white-matter structures across multiple voxels exhibit clear
ellipsoidal and asymmetric structure in simulation, and assess the performance
of the statistics in clinically-acquired magnetic resonance imaging data.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-AOAS441 the Annals of
Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of
Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Non-Negative Spherical Deconvolution (NNSD) for Fiber Orientation Distribution Function Estimation
International audienceIn diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI), Spherical Deconvolution (SD) is a commonly used approach for estimating the fiber Orientation Distribution Function (fODF). As a Probability Density Function (PDF) that characterizes the distribution of fiber orientations, the fODF is expected to be non-negative and to integrate to unity on the continuous unit sphere S2 . However, many existing approaches, despite using continuous representation such as Spherical Harmonics (SH), impose non-negativity only on discretized points of S2. Therefore, non-negativity is not guaranteed on the whole S2 Existing approaches are also known to .exhibit false positive fODF peaks, especially in regions with low anisotropy, causing an over-estimation of the number of fascicles that traverse each voxel. This paper proposes a novel approach, called Non-Negative SD (NNSD), to overcome the above limitations. NNSD offers the following advantages. First, NNSD is the first SH based method that guarantees non-negativity of the fODF throughout the unit sphere. Second, unlike approaches such as Maximum Entropy SD (MESD), Cartesian Tensor Fiber Orientation Distribution (CT-FOD), and discrete representation based SD (DR-SD) techniques, the SH representation allows closed form of spherical integration, efficient computation in a low dimensional space resided by the SH coefficients, and accurate peak detection on the continuous domain defined by the unit sphere. Third, NNSD is significantly less susceptible to producing false positive peaks in regions with low anisotropy. Evaluations of NNSD in comparison with Constrained SD (CSD), MESD, and DR-SD (implemented using L1-regularized least-squares with non-negative constraint), indicate that NNSD yields improved performance for both synthetic and real data. The performance gain is especially prominent for high resolution (1.25 mm)^3 data
Fuzzy Fibers: Uncertainty in dMRI Tractography
Fiber tracking based on diffusion weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI)
allows for noninvasive reconstruction of fiber bundles in the human brain. In
this chapter, we discuss sources of error and uncertainty in this technique,
and review strategies that afford a more reliable interpretation of the
results. This includes methods for computing and rendering probabilistic
tractograms, which estimate precision in the face of measurement noise and
artifacts. However, we also address aspects that have received less attention
so far, such as model selection, partial voluming, and the impact of
parameters, both in preprocessing and in fiber tracking itself. We conclude by
giving impulses for future research
Spherical deconvolution of multichannel diffusion MRI data with non-Gaussian noise models and spatial regularization
Spherical deconvolution (SD) methods are widely used to estimate the
intra-voxel white-matter fiber orientations from diffusion MRI data. However,
while some of these methods assume a zero-mean Gaussian distribution for the
underlying noise, its real distribution is known to be non-Gaussian and to
depend on the methodology used to combine multichannel signals. Indeed, the two
prevailing methods for multichannel signal combination lead to Rician and
noncentral Chi noise distributions. Here we develop a Robust and Unbiased
Model-BAsed Spherical Deconvolution (RUMBA-SD) technique, intended to deal with
realistic MRI noise, based on a Richardson-Lucy (RL) algorithm adapted to
Rician and noncentral Chi likelihood models. To quantify the benefits of using
proper noise models, RUMBA-SD was compared with dRL-SD, a well-established
method based on the RL algorithm for Gaussian noise. Another aim of the study
was to quantify the impact of including a total variation (TV) spatial
regularization term in the estimation framework. To do this, we developed TV
spatially-regularized versions of both RUMBA-SD and dRL-SD algorithms. The
evaluation was performed by comparing various quality metrics on 132
three-dimensional synthetic phantoms involving different inter-fiber angles and
volume fractions, which were contaminated with noise mimicking patterns
generated by data processing in multichannel scanners. The results demonstrate
that the inclusion of proper likelihood models leads to an increased ability to
resolve fiber crossings with smaller inter-fiber angles and to better detect
non-dominant fibers. The inclusion of TV regularization dramatically improved
the resolution power of both techniques. The above findings were also verified
in brain data
Bayesian uncertainty quantification in linear models for diffusion MRI
Diffusion MRI (dMRI) is a valuable tool in the assessment of tissue
microstructure. By fitting a model to the dMRI signal it is possible to derive
various quantitative features. Several of the most popular dMRI signal models
are expansions in an appropriately chosen basis, where the coefficients are
determined using some variation of least-squares. However, such approaches lack
any notion of uncertainty, which could be valuable in e.g. group analyses. In
this work, we use a probabilistic interpretation of linear least-squares
methods to recast popular dMRI models as Bayesian ones. This makes it possible
to quantify the uncertainty of any derived quantity. In particular, for
quantities that are affine functions of the coefficients, the posterior
distribution can be expressed in closed-form. We simulated measurements from
single- and double-tensor models where the correct values of several quantities
are known, to validate that the theoretically derived quantiles agree with
those observed empirically. We included results from residual bootstrap for
comparison and found good agreement. The validation employed several different
models: Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), Mean Apparent Propagator MRI (MAP-MRI)
and Constrained Spherical Deconvolution (CSD). We also used in vivo data to
visualize maps of quantitative features and corresponding uncertainties, and to
show how our approach can be used in a group analysis to downweight subjects
with high uncertainty. In summary, we convert successful linear models for dMRI
signal estimation to probabilistic models, capable of accurate uncertainty
quantification.Comment: Added results from a group analysis and a comparison with residual
bootstra
Multi-compartment microscopic diffusion imaging
This paper introduces a multi-compartment model for microscopic diffusion anisotropy imaging. The aim is to estimate microscopic features specific to the intra- and extra-neurite compartments in nervous tissue unconfounded by the effects of fibre crossings and orientation dispersion, which are ubiquitous in the brain. The proposed MRI method is based on the Spherical Mean Technique (SMT), which factors out the neurite orientation distribution and thus provides direct estimates of the microscopic tissue structure. This technique can be immediately used in the clinic for the assessment of various neurological conditions, as it requires only a widely available off-the-shelf sequence with two b-shells and high-angular gradient resolution achievable within clinically feasible scan times. To demonstrate the developed method, we use high-quality diffusion data acquired with a bespoke scanner system from the Human Connectome Project. This study establishes the normative values of the new biomarkers for a large cohort of healthy young adults, which may then support clinical diagnostics in patients. Moreover, we show that the microscopic diffusion indices offer direct sensitivity to pathological tissue alterations, exemplified in a preclinical animal model of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), a genetic multi-organ disorder which impacts brain microstructure and hence may lead to neurological manifestations such as autism, epilepsy and developmental delay
Scanner Invariant Representations for Diffusion MRI Harmonization
Purpose: In the present work we describe the correction of diffusion-weighted
MRI for site and scanner biases using a novel method based on invariant
representation.
Theory and Methods: Pooled imaging data from multiple sources are subject to
variation between the sources. Correcting for these biases has become very
important as imaging studies increase in size and multi-site cases become more
common. We propose learning an intermediate representation invariant to
site/protocol variables, a technique adapted from information theory-based
algorithmic fairness; by leveraging the data processing inequality, such a
representation can then be used to create an image reconstruction that is
uninformative of its original source, yet still faithful to underlying
structures. To implement this, we use a deep learning method based on
variational auto-encoders (VAE) to construct scanner invariant encodings of the
imaging data.
Results: To evaluate our method, we use training data from the 2018 MICCAI
Computational Diffusion MRI (CDMRI) Challenge Harmonization dataset. Our
proposed method shows improvements on independent test data relative to a
recently published baseline method on each subtask, mapping data from three
different scanning contexts to and from one separate target scanning context.
Conclusion: As imaging studies continue to grow, the use of pooled multi-site
imaging will similarly increase. Invariant representation presents a strong
candidate for the harmonization of these data
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