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Purpose: To demonstrate the efficacy of contrast enhanced magnetic resonance venography (CEMRV) using gadofosveset trisodium in the comprehensive evaluation of the intracranial and extracranial venous system., Materials and Methods: Temporal signal decay, in-plane saturation and flow artifacts were assessed in an institutional review board approved, HIPAA compliant CEMRV study of 99 subjects. In a 39 subject subset, percent diameter narrowing of the internal jugular (IJ), brachiocephalic and azygous veins were coded according to the following ordinal grades for both catheter venography (CV) and CEMRV: grade 0 ≤ 50%, grade 1 >50% and ≤ 75%, grade 2 >75% and <100% and grade 3 = 100% and compared with pressure gradient measurements obtained during CV., Results: There was no significant signal decay, in-plane saturation or flow artifacts identified on CEMRV or hemodynamically significant pressure gradients identified on CV. All brachiocephalic and azygous veins had matched grade 0 narrowing on both modalities. Discrepancy between modalities occurred in the IJ veins at the level of thyroid gland where 15% of IJ veins had CEMRV grade ≥ 1 narrowing compared with 4% for CV or below the thyroid gland where 5% of IJ veins had CEMRV grade ≥ 1 narrowing compared with 20% for CV. There was fair agreement (κ = 0.24) between modalities for grade of narrowing in the combined data set of all coded veins., Conclusion: CEMRV using gadofosveset trisodium is accurate in the evaluation of the venous system., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that included high resolution structural imaging, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) were performed in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients with negative computed tomographic scans and in an orthopedic-injured (OI) group without concomitant injury to the brain. The OI group served as a comparison group for mTBI. MRI scans were performed both in the acute phase of injury (~24 h) and at follow-up (~90 days). DTI data was analyzed using tract based spatial statistics (TBSS). Global and regional atrophies were calculated using tensor-based morphometry (TBM). MTR values were calculated using the standard method. MRSI was analyzed using LC Model. At the initial scan, the mean diffusivity (MD) was significantly higher in the mTBI cohort relative to the comparison group in several white matter (WM) regions that included internal capsule, external capsule, superior corona radiata, anterior corona radiata, posterior corona radiata, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, forceps major and forceps minor of the corpus callosum, superior longitudinal fasciculus, and corticospinal tract in the right hemisphere. TBSS analysis failed to detect significant differences in any DTI measures between the initial and follow-up scans either in the mTBI or OI group. No significant differences were found in MRSI, MTR or morphometry between the mTBI and OI cohorts either at the initial or follow-up scans with or without family wise error (FWE) correction. Our study suggests that a number of WM tracts are affected in mTBI in the acute phase of injury and that these changes disappear by 90 days. This study also suggests that none of the MRI-modalities used in this study, with the exception of DTI, is sensitive in detecting changes in the acute phase of mTBI.

The human brain lateral ventricular (LV) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volume has been used as a neuroimaging marker of brain changes in health and disease. The LV CSF diffusivity may offer a useful quality assurance measure and become a potential noninvasive marker of deep brain temperature. In this work we sought to validate a method for human brain lateral ventricular (LV) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) contrast to provide LV volume and corresponding DTI metrics. We compared LV volume obtained using DTI with that obtained using validated segmentations of the LV on T1-weighted data. DTI and T1-weighted data were acquired at 3T on 49 healthy males and 56 age-matched females aged 18-59 years. We showed histogram distributions of LV DTI metrics to establish quality assurance measures. We also analyzed the age and gender effects of LV volume and diffusivity. LV volumes estimated using both T1-weighted and DTI correlated strongly in males and females (ICC=0.99; median Dice index ~80%). The LV-to-intracranial volume percentage increased significantly with age only in males, using the DTI-based approach (r=0.39; p=0.005). LV CSF Mean diffusivity was greater in males than females ((~1.2%; p=0.03). Mean diffusivity of lateral ventricular CSF decreased significantly with age in healthy adults (r=-0.30; p=0.02). Our results highlight the importance of age and gender-based analyses and the potential of LV diffusivity measures as a quantitative marker., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The major language pathways such as superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) pathways have been outlined by experimental and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies. The SLF I and some of the superior parietal lobule connections of the SLF pathways have not been depicted by prior DTI studies due to the lack of imaging sensitivity and adequate spatial resolution. In the current study, the trajectory of the SLF fibers has been delineated on five healthy human subjects using diffusion tensor tractography on a 3.0-T scanner at high spatial resolution. We also demonstrate for the first time the trajectory and connectivity of the SLF fibers in relation to other language pathways as well as the superior parietal lobule connections of the language circuit using high spatial resolution DTI in the healthy adult human brain.

Accurate and noninvasive quantification of regional cerebral blood perfusion (CBF) of the human brain tissue would advance the study of the complex interplay between human brain structure and function, in both health and disease. Despite the plethora of works on CBF in gray matter, a detailed quantitative white matter perfusion atlas has not been presented on healthy adults using the International Consortium for Brain Mapping atlases. In this study, we present a host of assurance measures such as temporal stability, spatial heterogeneity and age effects of regional and global CBF in selected deep, cortical gray matter and white matter tracts identified and quantified using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We utilized whole brain high-resolution DTI combined with arterial spin labeling to quantify regional CBF on 15 healthy adults aged 23.2-57.1years. We present total brain and regional CBF, corresponding volume, mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy spatial heterogeneity, and dependence on age as additional quality assurance measures to compare with published trends using both MRI and nuclear medicine methods. Total CBF showed a steady decrease with age in gray matter (r=-0.58; P=.03), whereas total CBF of white matter did not significantly change with age (r=0.11; P=.7). This quantitative report offers a preliminary baseline of CBF, volume and DTI measurements for the design of future multicenter and clinical studies utilizing noninvasive perfusion and DT-MRI., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Diffusion tensor imaging has the potential to be used as a neuroimaging marker of natural ageing and assist in elucidating trajectories of cerebral maturation and ageing. In this study, we applied a multivariate technique relevance vector regression (RVR) to predict individual subject's age using whole brain fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) from a cohort of 188 subjects aged 4-85 years. High prediction accuracy as derived from Pearson correlation coefficient of actual versus predicted age (FA - r=0.870 p<0.0001; MD - r=0.896 p<0.0001; AD - r=0.895 p<0.0001; RD - r=0.899 p<0.0001) was achieved. Cerebral white-matter regions that contributed to these predictions include; corpus callosum, cingulum bundles, posterior longitudinal fasciculus and the cerebral peduncle. A post-hoc analysis of these regions showed that FA follows a nonlinear rational-quadratic trajectory across the lifespan peaking at approximately 21.8 years. The MD, RD and AD volumes were particularly useful for making predictions using grey matter cerebral regions. These results suggest that diffusion tensor imaging measurements can reliably predict individual subject's age and demonstrate that FA cerebral maturation and ageing patterns follow a non-linear trajectory with a noteworthy peaking age. These data will contribute to the understanding of neurobiology of cerebral maturation and ageing. Most notably, from a neuropsychiatric perspective our results may allow differentiation of cerebral changes that may occur due to natural maturation and ageing, and those due to developmental or neuropsychiatric disorders., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Prospective motion correction methods using an optical system, diffusion-weighted prospective acquisition correction, or a free induction decay navigator have recently been applied to correct for motion in diffusion tensor imaging. These methods have some limitations and drawbacks. This article describes a novel technique using a three-dimensional-echo planar imaging navigator, of which the contrast is independent of the b-value, to perform prospective motion correction in diffusion weighted images, without having to reacquire volumes during which motion occurred, unless motion exceeded some preset thresholds. Water phantom and human brain data were acquired using the standard and navigated diffusion sequences, and the mean and whole brain histogram of the fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity were analyzed. Our results show that adding the navigator does not influence the diffusion sequence. With head motion, the whole brain histogram-fractional anisotropy shows a shift toward lower anisotropy with a significant decrease in both the mean fractional anisotropy and the fractional anisotropy histogram peak location (P<0.01), whereas the whole brain histogram-mean diffusivity shows a shift toward higher diffusivity with a significant increase in the mean diffusivity (P<0.01), even after retrospective motion correction. These changes in the mean and the shape of the histograms are recovered substantially in the prospective motion corrected data acquired using the navigated sequence., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Purpose: To investigate the utility of multimodal quantitative MRI (qMRI) and atlas-based methods to identify characteristics of lesion-driven injury and neurodegeneration in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)., Materials and Methods: This work is health insurance portability and accountability act compliant. High resolution T1-weighted, dual echo, and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and diffusion tensor MRI images were prospectively acquired on 68 RRMS patients (range, 25-58 years) and 68 age-matched controls. The data were analyzed using standardized human brain atlas-based tissue segmentation procedures to obtain regional volumes and their corresponding T2 relaxation times and DTI maps., Results: Group-averaged brain atlas-based qMRI maps of T2, fractional anisotropy and diffusivities are visually presented and compared between controls and RRMS. The analysis shows a widespread injury in RRMS. Atrophy of the corpus callosum (CC) was substantial in RRMS. The qMRI attributes of the neocortex in combination with the CC such as T2 and diffusivities were elevated and correlated with disability., Conclusion: Using a standardized multimodal qMRI acquisition and analyses that accounted for lesion distribution we demonstrate that cerebral pathology is widespread in RRMS. Our analysis of CC and neocortex qMRI metrics in relation to disability points to a neurodegenerative injury component that is independent from lesions., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Several in vivo quantitative MRI techniques have been proposed as surrogate measures to map iron content in the human brain. The majority of in vivo quantitative MRI iron mapping methods used the age-dependent iron content data based on postmortem data. In this work, we fused atlas-based human brain volumetry obtained on a large cohort of healthy adults using FreeSurfer with T(2) relaxation time measurements. We provide a brain atlas-based T(2) relaxation time map, which was subsequently used along with published postmortem iron content data to obtain a map of iron content in subcortical and cortical gray matter. We have also investigated the sensitivity of the linear model relating transverse relaxation rate with published iron content to the number of regions used. Our work highlights the challenges encountered on using the simple model along with postmortem data to infer iron content in several brain regions where postmortem iron data are scant (e.g., corpus callosum, amygdale)., (Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

In this work we provide an up-to-date short review of computational magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and software tools that are widely used to process and analyze diffusion-weighted MRI data. A review of different methods used to acquire, model and analyze diffusion-weighted imaging data (DWI) is first provided with focus on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The major preprocessing, processing and post-processing procedures applied to DTI data are discussed. A list of freely available software packages to analyze diffusion MRI data is also provided., (2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Microstructural metrics obtained using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) such as transverse relaxation time and radial diffusivity have been used as in vivo markers of human brain tissue integrity. Considering the sensitivity of these parameters to some common biophysical contributors and their structural and spatial heterogeneity, we hypothesized that strong inter and intra-regional associations exist between these variables providing evidence to possible interplay between transverse relaxation time and radial diffusivity. To validate our hypothesis we obtained high resolution anatomical T1-weighted data and fused it with T2-relaxometry and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data on a cohort of healthy adults. The anatomical data were parcellated using FreeSurfer and then coaligned and fused with the T2 and DTI maps. Our data reveal some association between transverse relaxation and radial diffusivity that may help toward the interpretation and modeling of the biophysical contributors to the measured MRI metrics., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this communication, we extended a previously described and validated diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) method for segmenting whole brain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and gray and white matter (WM) tissue to provide regional volume and DTI metrics of WM tract and cortical and subcortical gray matter. This DTI-based regional segmentation was implemented using the statistical parametric mapping (SPM) toolbox and used the international consortium for brain mapping atlases and Montreal Neurological Institute brain templates. We used our DTI-based segmentation approach to calculate the left putamen volume in a cohort of 136 healthy right-handed males and females aged 15.8-62.8 years. We validated our approach by demonstrating its sensitivity to age-related changes of the putamen. Indeed, our method found that the putamen volume decreased with age (r = -0.30; P < 0.001) while the corresponding fractional anisotropy (FA) increased with advancing age (r = 0.5; P < 0.00001). It is then demonstrated, on a subset of our cohort (n = 31), that the putamen volume obtained by our method correlated with measurements obtained from FreeSurfer (r = 0.396, P < 0.05). Our novel approach increases the information obtained with a DTI examination by providing routine volumetry measure, thereby eliminating separate scans to obtain volumetry data. In addition, the labeled volumes obtained with our method have the potential to increase the accuracy of fiber tracking. In the future, this new approach can be automated to analyze large data sets to help discover noninvasive neuroimaging markers for clinical trials and brain-function studies in both health and disease., (Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

This work investigated the feasibility and utility of using T2-weighted or dual spin-echo data to provide volume and T2 relaxation time for regional and global gray and white matter using standardized brain templates and anatomically labeled atlases. A total of 130 healthy males and females (age range 15-59 years) were included. Dual echo magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired and analyzed using standardized International Consortium for Human Brain Mapping atlas-based tissue segmentation procedures implemented in the statistical parametric mapping toolbox to obtain the age trajectories of volume and corresponding T2 relaxation time in whole brain white and gray matter, in the caudate nucleus and in the anterior limb of internal capsule. Whole brain gray matter and caudate nucleus volumes linearly decreased with age while whole brain white matter and anterior limb internal capsule volume increased slowly with age bilaterally in males and females. The relation between T2 relaxation time and age of whole brain gray and white matter, and caudate nucleus and anterior limb internal capsule followed a quadratic U-curve. The T2 relaxation times of the human brain followed a U curve both globally and regionally in both white and gray matter., (Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Purpose: To investigate the utility of diffusion tensor tractography at 1mm slice thickness to map and quantify the whole trajectory of different cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathways of the healthy adult human brain., Materials and Methods: This work was approved by the local Institutional Review Board, and was Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant. Five healthy right-handed men (age range, 24-37 years) were studied and written informed consent was obtained. Diffusion tensor imaging data acquired with 1-mm slice thickness at a 3.0 Tesla (T) clinical MRI scanner were prepared and analyzed using tractography methods to reconstruct the cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathways which included the fronto-ponto-cerebellar, parieto-ponto-cerebellar, occipito-ponto-cerebellar, and temporo-ponto-cerebellar tracts., Results: We demonstrate the feasibility of tractographic mapping and quantification of the four cortico-ponto-cerebellar system components based on their cortical connections in the healthy human brain using DTI data with thin 1-mm sections., Conclusion: In vivo quantification of different cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathways based on cortical connection is feasible, using 1-mm slices at 3.0T.

Using diffusion tensor tractography, we quantified the microstructural changes in the association, projection, and commissural compact white matter pathways of the human brain over the lifespan in a cohort of healthy right-handed children and adults aged 6-68 years. In both males and females, the diffusion tensor radial diffusivity of the bilateral arcuate fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, corticospinal, somatosensory tracts, and the corpus callosum followed a U-curve with advancing age; fractional anisotropy in the same pathways followed an inverted U-curve. Our study provides useful baseline data for the interpretation of data collected from patients.

Recent studies demonstrated that diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can provide information regarding white matter integrity of the corpus callosum (CC). In this study, DTI parameters were compared between cocaine dependent subjects (CDs) and non-drug using controls (NCs) in midsagittal CC. DTI images were acquired from 19 CDs and 18 age-matched NCs. The midsagittal CC was segmented into: genu, rostral body, anterior midbody, posterior midbody, isthmus, and splenium. Linear mixed models analyses showed that, relative to NCs, CDs had lower fractional anisotropy (FA), higher radial diffusivity (lambda(perpendicular)), and higher mean diffusivity (D(av)) in the isthmus; higher lambda(perpendicular) and D(av) in the rostral body; and lower FA in the splenium. After including mass of lifetime alcohol use in the mixed model analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) as a covariate, significant between group differences in lambda(perpendicular) in the rostral body and isthmus remained. These results suggest that alterations in lambda(perpendicular) in the rostral body and isthmus were mainly due to cocaine use, consistent with previous studies showing that cocaine may alter myelin integrity. Between group differences in FA in the isthmus and splenium, and D(av) in the rostral body and isthmus became non-significant after inclusion of alcohol use as a covariate. This is suggestive of alcohol influencing these values, or may be related to the decreased degrees of freedom for these effects. Consistent with clinical data of greater severity of drug use in smoked versus intranasal cocaine, subjects who smoked cocaine showed lower FA and higher lambda(perpendicular) compared to intranasal CDs.

The mapping of the human brain white matter fiber networks relative to deep subcortical and cortical gray matter requires high spatial resolution which is challenged by the low signal-to-noise ratio. The purpose of this short report was to introduce a whole brain high spatial resolution diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) protocol that enabled for the first time the mapping of corticopontocerebellar, frontostriatal and thalamofrontal fiber pathways in addition to other limbic, commissural, association and projection white matter pathways relative to the segmented deep gray (e.g., caudate nuclei) and the cortical lobes. Our DTI acquisition protocol and analysis strategy provide important template for brain-behavior research and for teaching brain mapping and are clinically affordable for patient comfort.

Purpose: To investigate the utility of caudate nuclei (CN) macro- and microstructural metrics as markers of gray matter degeneration in healthy adults and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients., Materials and Methods: The normal age- and pathology-related changes in caudate nuclei volume (CNV), the corresponding diffusion tensor metrics, and the T(2) relaxation times were measured in a cohort of 32 healthy adults (12 men/20 women; age range 21-59 years) and 32 age-matched RRMS patients (8 men/34 women; age range 21-57 years)., Results: Smaller values in both the absolute CNV and the caudate volume ratio relative to the total intracranial volume (CNVp) were observed in the RRMS group relative to healthy controls. The fractional anisotropy (FA), based on the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the CN increased with age in healthy adults (r = 0.52; P = 0.003) but not in patients (r = 0.28; P = 0.12). The caudate FA value was approximately 9% larger in RRMS patients relative to controls (P = 0.001). The mean diffusivity of the CN was greater in the RRMS group compared to controls (P = 0.02). The caudate T(2) relaxation times were smaller in the RRMS group relative to the control group (3% reduction, P = 0.05). T(2) relaxation times did not exhibit age-related changes (P > 0.35) in either cohort. Strong and significant correlations between CNVp and whole-brain lesion load (r = -0.48; P = 0.005) and whole-brain CSF fraction (r = -0.46; P = 0.01) were also noted., Conclusion: These preliminary findings indicate that caudate DTI-derived metrics can serve as potential quantitative radiological markers of MS pathology.

In this study of a cohort of 33 young and middle-age adults (19-59 years) we report simultaneous measurements of normal age-related changes in the caudate nuclei volume, diffusion tensor metrics, and T(2) relaxation time. Both the absolute caudate volume and its ratio relative to the total intracranial volume decreased rapidly with age in both men and women (r = -0.55; P < 0.001). The fractional diffusion tensor anisotropy of the caudate nuclei increased with age in both males and females (r = 0.48; P = 0.005). The corresponding age correlations of the caudate axial (r = 0.17; P = 0.35), transverse (r = -0.12; P = 0.50), mean diffusivities (r = 0.018; P = 0.92), and T(2) relaxation times (r = 0.194; P = 0.28) were weaker and did not reach statistical significance (P > 0.05). Our preliminary findings warrant further studies on the older and aging adults and indicate that caudate diffusion tensor imaging-derived metrics can be used as surrogates in modeling the neuronal substrates of gray matter atrophy., (2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc)

Background and Purpose: High tissue contrast and short acquisition time are desirable when scanning patients. The purpose of this report is to describe the implementation of a new technique for generating high gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) contrast in a short scan time, make a quantitative evaluation of the contrast efficiency, and explore its potential applications in neuroimaging., Method: A fully interleaved T1-weighted inversion recovery (T1IR) sequence with phase-sensitive reconstruction (PS-T1IR) is implemented. This sequence is compared with conventional T1-weighted spin-echo imaging (T1SE) and T1-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (T1FLAIR). The time efficiency and contrast enhancement have been quantitatively analyzed in normal volunteers. The performance of the sequence is evaluated in >30 patients with neurologic disorders. The sensitivity of PS-T1IR relative to T1SE in detecting gadolinium enhancements is also evaluated., Results: PS-T1IR is more time-efficient than T1SE and generates better GM-WM contrast. It results in the best contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) efficiency (1.16) compared with T1FLAIR (0.73) and T1SE (0.23). For a typical clinical protocol, PS-T1IR takes only 1:30 minutes versus 2:40 minutes for T1SE imaging for the whole brain coverage. Although gadolinium enhancements are detected with comparable sensitivity on both PS-T1IR and T1SE sequences, in certain instances, the latter sequence appears to be more sensitive in demonstrating gadolinium enhancements within WM., Conclusion: PS-T1IR has the highest CNR efficiency compared with T1FLAIR and T1SE. It is a very practical technique for neuroradiologic applications.

Background and Purpose: It is known that intracranial mass lesions are relatively isotropic on diffusion-weighted imaging. The purpose of this study is to report an unusually high fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (D(av)) in the cavity of the brain abscess compared with other cystic lesions., Methods: We performed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in 12 patients with cystic intracranial lesions (pyogenic abscess, n = 5; cysticercus cysts, n = 2; and low-grade astrocytoma, n = 5). Mean FA, D(av) from the lesion core, perifocal edema, and corresponding contralateral normal-appearing regions were measured and compared for relative changes in these parameters. In the abscess cases, we placed regions of interest on areas with FA >0.2 and FA <0.2 to get FA and D(av) values., Results: There were two patterns of FA values in the abscess cavity in all five patients. Part of the abscess showed mean FA = 0.440 +/- 0.135, with D(av) = (0.993 +/- 0.185) x 10(-3) mm(2)/s, whereas other parts had FA = 0.131 +/- 0.039 with D(av) = (0.824 +/- 0.183) x 10(-3) mm(2)/s. The cystic tumors and neurocysticercosis showed very high D(av) = (2.806 +/- 0.25, 2.654 +/- 0.35)x 10(-3) mm(2)/s, with low FA = (0.108 +/- 0.037, 0.08 +/- 0.01), respectively., Conclusion: Brain abscess cavity shows regions of increased FA values with restricted mean diffusivity compared with other cystic intracranial lesions. This information may prevent misinterpretation of the DTI information as white matter fiber bundle abnormalities associated with mass lesions.