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108 results on '"Maria Marcella Laganà"'

101. Tractography of corpus callosum connections to other brain structures

Author

Giuseppe Baselli, Maria Marcella Laganà, and C. Del Favero

Subjects
Computer science, business.industry, Image registration, Acquisition time, Image segmentation, Corpus callosum, Nuclear medicine, business, Tractography, Biomedical engineering
Abstract

A microstructural damage of corpus callosum (cc) is demonstrated by histological post-mortem study in many neurodegenerative diseases, while at present the only in-vivo investigation is provided by DTI and tractography. However, the lesional load which often accompanies these pathologies can severely limit the image registration steps necessary for reliable DTI computation. A technical study for specific cc investigation and for the enhancement of main tracts connecting cc and other brain structures is presented, analyzing 5 subjects with different lesional loads. Atlas of 116 brain structures and segmented cc, derived from high-resolution-Tl images, are coregistered onto DTI directly or by 2 passages. For 2 patients with high lesional load, the 2- steps coregistration gives best results, indeed mutual information between Tl and DTI is higher for Tl coregistered with 2 steps than directly. Volumes of entire cc, portions of cc, brain structures connected to cc are computed. Also DTI-derived indices (MD, FA) are computed for the same structures. For all the subjects, the volume of cc anterior portion was less than posterior one; for 4 subjects FA of anterior bundles were less then FA of posteriors. The parameters of fiber tracking allowed to extract bundles connecting cc to other brain structures and to compute indices of their microstructural integrity, within the limits, in terms of acquisition time, of a clinically feasible protocol.

Published
2008
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102. Quantitative MRI Harmonization to Maximize Clinical Impact: The RIN–Neuroimaging Network

Author

Anna Nigri, Stefania Ferraro, Claudia A. M. Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott, Michela Tosetti, Alberto Redolfi, Gianluigi Forloni, Egidio D'Angelo, Domenico Aquino, Laura Biagi, Paolo Bosco, Irene Carne, Silvia De Francesco, Greta Demichelis, Ruben Gianeri, Maria Marcella Lagana, Edoardo Micotti, Antonio Napolitano, Fulvia Palesi, Alice Pirastru, Giovanni Savini, Elisa Alberici, Carmelo Amato, Filippo Arrigoni, Francesca Baglio, Marco Bozzali, Antonella Castellano, Carlo Cavaliere, Valeria Elisa Contarino, Giulio Ferrazzi, Simona Gaudino, Silvia Marino, Vittorio Manzo, Luigi Pavone, Letterio S. Politi, Luca Roccatagliata, Elisa Rognone, Andrea Rossi, Caterina Tonon, Raffaele Lodi, Fabrizio Tagliavini, Maria Grazia Bruzzone, and The RIN–Neuroimaging

Subjects
harmonization, multisite, quantitative MRI, QSM, diffusion MRI, fMRI, Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system, RC346-429
Abstract

Neuroimaging studies often lack reproducibility, one of the cardinal features of the scientific method. Multisite collaboration initiatives increase sample size and limit methodological flexibility, therefore providing the foundation for increased statistical power and generalizable results. However, multisite collaborative initiatives are inherently limited by hardware, software, and pulse and sequence design heterogeneities of both clinical and preclinical MRI scanners and the lack of benchmark for acquisition protocols, data analysis, and data sharing. We present the overarching vision that yielded to the constitution of RIN-Neuroimaging Network, a national consortium dedicated to identifying disease and subject-specific in-vivo neuroimaging biomarkers of diverse neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. This ambitious goal needs efforts toward increasing the diagnostic and prognostic power of advanced MRI data. To this aim, 23 Italian Scientific Institutes of Hospitalization and Care (IRCCS), with technological and clinical specialization in the neurological and neuroimaging field, have gathered together. Each IRCCS is equipped with high- or ultra-high field MRI scanners (i.e., ≥3T) for clinical or preclinical research or has established expertise in MRI data analysis and infrastructure. The actions of this Network were defined across several work packages (WP). A clinical work package (WP1) defined the guidelines for a minimum standard clinical qualitative MRI assessment for the main neurological diseases. Two neuroimaging technical work packages (WP2 and WP3, for clinical and preclinical scanners) established Standard Operative Procedures for quality controls on phantoms as well as advanced harmonized quantitative MRI protocols for studying the brain of healthy human participants and wild type mice. Under FAIR principles, a web-based e-infrastructure to store and share data across sites was also implemented (WP4). Finally, the RIN translated all these efforts into a large-scale multimodal data collection in patients and animal models with dementia (i.e., case study). The RIN-Neuroimaging Network can maximize the impact of public investments in research and clinical practice acquiring data across institutes and pathologies with high-quality and highly-consistent acquisition protocols, optimizing the analysis pipeline and data sharing procedures.

Published
2022
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103. Pathophysiology of Tissue Damage in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: An Immunological and MRI Comparative Study Versus Motor Neuron Disease (P03.047)

Author

Mario Clerici, Christian Lunetta, Marco Rovaris, Ivana Marventano, Massimo Corbo, Pietro Cecconi, Maria Marcella Laganà, Ludovica Griffanti, G. Pinardi, Domenico Caputo, Marina Saresella, and Paola Tortorella

Subjects
Progressive multiple sclerosis, Pathology, medicine.medical_specialty, medicine.anatomical_structure, business.industry, Tissue damage, medicine, Neurology (clinical), Disease, Motor neuron, business, Neuroscience, Pathophysiology
Published
2012
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104. Relationship between MRI perfusion and clinical severity in multiple sclerosis

Author

Maria Marcella Lagana, Laura Pelizzari, and Francesca Baglio

Subjects
brain perfusion, cerebral blood flow, cognition, disability, magnetic resonance imaging, mri, multiple sclerosis, phenotypes, progressive, relapsing remitting, Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system, RC346-429
Abstract

Perfusion alterations within several brain regions have been shown in multiple sclerosis patients using different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. Furthermore, MRI-derived brain perfusion metrics have been investigated in association with multiple sclerosis phenotypes, physical disability, and cognitive impairment. However, a review focused on these aspects is still missing. Our aim was to review all the studies investigating the relationship between perfusion MRI and clinical severity during the last fifteen years to understand the clinical relevance of these findings. Perfusion differences among phenotypes were observed both with 1.5T and 3T scanners, with progressive multiple sclerosis presenting with lower perfusion values than relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients. However, only 3T scanners showed a statistically significant distinction. Controversial results about the association between MRI-derived perfusion metrics and physical disability scores were found. However, the majority of the studies showed that lower brain perfusion and longer transit time are associated with more severe physical disability and worse cognitive performances.

Published
2020
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105. Generic acquisition protocol for quantitative MRI of the spinal cord

Author

René Labounek, Nawal Kinany, Michela Fratini, Laura Barlow, Markus Barth, P Wyss, Marco Battiston, Sean Mackey, Nyoman D. Kurniawan, Deborah Pareto, Kenneth A. Weber, Guillaume Gilbert, Robert L. Barry, Anna Pichiecchio, Eva Alonso-Ortiz, Matthew D. Budde, Mihael Abramovic, Alexandra Tinnermann, Giancarlo Germani, Dimitri Van De Ville, Falk Eippert, Anna J.E. Combes, Igor Nestrasil, Marios C. Yiannakas, Haleh Karbasforoushan, Julien Doyon, Cornelia Laule, Nicole Atcheson, Ali Khatibi, Nico Papinutto, Karla R. Epperson, Marek Dostál, Yazhuo Kong, Loan Mattera, Charley Gros, Paulo Loureiro de Sousa, Pierre-Gilles Henry, Alan C. Seifert, Richard G. Wise, Issei Fukunaga, Alexandru Foias, Shannon H. Kolind, Todd B. Parrish, Akifumi Hagiwara, Daniel Papp, Carina Arneitz, Virginie Callot, Christian Büchel, Maria Marcella Laganà, Tobias Leutritz, Slawomir Kusmia, Ferran Prados, Kevin S. Epperson, Marc J. Ruitenberg, Nikolaus Weiskopf, Kouhei Kamiya, Benjamin De Leener, Adam V. Dvorak, Giovanni Savini, Christine S. Law, Petr Kudlička, Paul Kuntke, Julien Cohen-Adad, Alex Rovira, Jan Valošek, Patrick Freund, George Tackley, Zachary A. Smith, Eloy Martinez-Heras, Maxime Descoteaux, Yaou Liu, Miloš Keřkovský, Joo Won Kim, Kristin P. O’Grady, Elisabeth Solana, Rebecca S. Samson, Junqian Xu, Alex K. Smith, Federico Giove, Maryam Seif, Claudia A. M. Wheeler-Kingshott, Tomáš Horák, James M. Joers, Francesco Grussu, Christophe Lenglet, Jürgen Finsterbusch, Sara Llufriu, Hagen H. Kitzler, Masaaki Hori, Yuichi Suzuki, Seth A. Smith, École Polytechnique de Montréal (EPM), Université du Québec à Montréal = University of Québec in Montréal (UQAM), Mila - Quebec AI Institute, Swiss Paraplegic Research = Schweizer Paraplegiker-Stiftung, University of Queensland [Brisbane], University of British Columbia (UBC), Massachusetts General Hospital [Boston], Harvard Medical School [Boston] (HMS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University College of London [London] (UCL), Universitaetsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf = University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf [Hamburg] (UKE), Medical College of Wisconsin [Milwaukee] (MCW), Centre de résonance magnétique biologique et médicale (CRMBM), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (APHM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre d'Exploration Métabolique par Résonance Magnétique [Hôpital de la Timone - AP-HM] (CEMEREM), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (APHM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (APHM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)- Hôpital de la Timone [CHU - APHM] (TIMONE), Vanderbilt University Medical Center [Nashville], Vanderbilt University [Nashville], CHU Sainte Justine [Montréal], Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS), Centre d'Imagerie Moléculaire de Sherbrooke, Laboratoire des sciences de l'ingénieur, de l'informatique et de l'imagerie (ICube), École Nationale du Génie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement de Strasbourg (ENGEES)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées - Strasbourg (INSA Strasbourg), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Matériaux et nanosciences d'Alsace (FMNGE), Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Réseau nanophotonique et optique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA), Masaryk University and University Hospital Brno, McGill University = Université McGill [Montréal, Canada], Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences [Leipzig] (IMPNSC), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Stanford University School of Medicine [CA, USA], Universität Zürich [Zürich] = University of Zurich (UZH), IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Juntendo University School of Medicine [Tokyo, Japan], University of Pavia, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Philips Healthcare [Markham], Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro di Studi e Ricerche 'Enrico Fermi', Roma, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital [Barcelona], Center for Magnetic Resonance Research [Minneapolis] (CMRR), University of Minnesota Medical School, University of Minnesota System-University of Minnesota System, Central European Institute of Technology [Brno] (CEITEC MU), Brno University of Technology [Brno] (BUT), Toho University Omori Medical Center [Tokyo], The University of Tokyo (UTokyo), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Stanford University, University of Birmingham [Birmingham], Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai [New York] (MSSM), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), University of Geneva [Switzerland], Technische Universität Dresden = Dresden University of Technology (TU Dresden), Chinese Academy of Sciences [Beijing] (CAS), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences [Beijing] (UCAS), University of Oxford [Oxford], University of Southern Queensland (USQ), Cardiff University, Epilepsy Society [Buckinghamshire] (MRI Unit), Departments of Ophthalmology and Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota [Twin Cities] (UMN), University Hospital Olomouc [Czech Republic], Capital University of Medical Sciences [Beijing] (CUMS), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), University of California [San Francisco] (UCSF), University of California, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University [Evanston], Universitat Oberta de Catalunya [Barcelona] (UOC), University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), Palacky University Olomouc, Leipzig University, University 'G. d'Annunzio' of Chieti-Pescara [Chieti and Pescara, Italy], Centre d'Exploration Métabolique par Résonance Magnétique [Hôpital de la Timone - APHM] (CEMEREM), Hôpital de la Timone [CHU - APHM] (TIMONE)-Centre de résonance magnétique biologique et médicale (CRMBM), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (APHM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (APHM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (Inria)-Les Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg (HUS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Matériaux et Nanosciences Grand-Est (MNGE), Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Réseau nanophotonique et optique, Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Masaryk University [Brno] (MUNI), Università degli Studi di Pavia = University of Pavia (UNIPV), Enrico Fermi Center for Study and Research | Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro Studi e Ricerche Enrico Fermi, Université de Genève = University of Geneva (UNIGE), University of Oxford, University of California [San Francisco] (UC San Francisco), University of California (UC), Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (APHM)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (APHM)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (APHM)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)- Hôpital de la Timone [CHU - APHM] (TIMONE), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées - Strasbourg (INSA Strasbourg), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École Nationale du Génie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement de Strasbourg (ENGEES)-Réseau nanophotonique et optique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Matériaux et nanosciences d'Alsace (FMNGE), and Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Adult, Male, medicine.medical_specialty, Computer science, Neuroimaging, Article, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, 030218 nuclear medicine & medical imaging, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, medicine, Humans, NeuroPoly, Medical physics, health care economics and organizations, Protocol (science), medicine.diagnostic_test, technology, industry, and agriculture, Healthy subjects, Magnetic resonance imaging, Spinal cord, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, White matter microstructure, humanities, 3. Good health, Acquisition Protocol, medicine.anatomical_structure, Spinal Cord, [SDV.NEU]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC], 030217 neurology & neurosurgery, Diffusion MRI
Abstract

Quantitative spinal cord (SC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) presents many challenges, including a lack of standardized imaging protocols. Here we present a prospectively harmonized quantitative MRI protocol, which we refer to as the spine generic protocol, for users of 3T MRI systems from the three main manufacturers: GE, Philips and Siemens. The protocol provides guidance for assessing SC macrostructural and microstructural integrity: T1-weighted and T2-weighted imaging for SC cross-sectional area computation, multi-echo gradient echo for gray matter cross-sectional area, and magnetization transfer and diffusion weighted imaging for assessing white matter microstructure. In a companion paper from the same authors, the spine generic protocol was used to acquire data across 42 centers in 260 healthy subjects. The key details of the spine generic protocol are also available in an open-access document that can be found at https://github.com/spine-generic/protocols . The protocol will serve as a starting point for researchers and clinicians implementing new SC imaging initiatives so that, in the future, inclusion of the SC in neuroimaging protocols will be more common. The protocol could be implemented by any trained MR technician or by a researcher/clinician familiar with MRI acquisition.

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106. An anatomy-based lumped parameter model of cerebrospinal venous circulation: can an extracranial anatomical change impact intracranial hemodynamics?

Author

Alberto Redaelli, Emiliano Votta, Gianfranco Beniamino Fiore, Stefano Viotti, Lara Marchetti, Antonello Barberio, Stefania Marcotti, Pietro Cecconi, and Maria Marcella Laganà

Subjects
Adult, Male, Nervous system, Multiple Sclerosis, Intracranial Pressure, Clinical Neurology, Hemodynamics, Veins, Young Adult, Lumbar, Blood flow, Blood pressure, Cerebrovascular circulation, Neurology (clinical), Humans, Medicine, Vein, Internal jugular vein, Intracranial pressure, business.industry, Brain, General Medicine, Anatomy, Middle Aged, Spinal column, medicine.anatomical_structure, Case-Control Studies, Female, Jugular Veins, business, Anatomical feature, Research Article
Abstract

Background The relationship between extracranial venous system abnormalities and central nervous system disorders has been recently theorized. In this paper we delve into this hypothesis by modeling the venous drainage in brain and spinal column areas and simulating the intracranial flow changes due to extracranial morphological stenoses. Methods A lumped parameter model of the cerebro-spinal venous drainage was created based on anatomical knowledge and vessels diameters and lengths taken from literature. Each vein was modeled as a hydraulic resistance, calculated through Poiseuille’s law. The inputs of the model were arterial flow rates of the intracranial, vertebral and lumbar districts. The effects of the obstruction of the main venous outflows were simulated. A database comprising 112 Multiple Sclerosis patients (Male/Female = 42/70; median age ± standard deviation = 43.7 ± 10.5 years) was retrospectively analyzed. Results The flow rate of the main veins estimated with the model was similar to the measures of 21 healthy controls (Male/Female = 10/11; mean age ± standard deviation = 31 ± 11 years), obtained with a 1.5 T Magnetic Resonance scanner. The intracranial reflux topography predicted with the model in cases of internal jugular vein diameter reduction was similar to those observed in the patients with internal jugular vein obstacles. Conclusions The proposed model can predict physiological and pathological behaviors with good fidelity. Despite the simplifications introduced in cerebrospinal venous circulation modeling, the key anatomical feature of the lumped parameter model allowed for a detailed analysis of the consequences of extracranial venous impairments on intracranial pressure and hemodynamics. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12883-015-0352-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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107. Tractographic reconstruction protocol optimization in the rat brain in-vivo: towards a normal atlas

Author

Alessandro Di Marzio, Domenico Aquino, Ileana Zucca, Roberto Spreafico, Alfonso Mastropietro, Carolina Frassoni, Maria Marcella Laganà, Maria Giulia Preti, and Giuseppe Baselli

Subjects
Male, Computer science, Image Processing, Slice thickness, Brain damage, Iterative reconstruction, Signal-To-Noise Ratio, Corpus Callosum, methods, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Atlases as Topic, Computer-Assisted, Anatomy, Artistic, Animals, Atlases as Topic, Brain, anatomy /&/ histology, Corpus Callosum, anatomy /&/ histology, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, methods, Image Processing, methods, Male, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Signal-To-Noise Ratio, Atlas (anatomy), In vivo, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, medicine, Animals, Artistic, Anatomy, Artistic, Dti tractography, anatomy /&/ histology, medicine.diagnostic_test, Brain, Magnetic resonance imaging, Rat brain, Rats, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, medicine.anatomical_structure, Sprague-Dawley, medicine.symptom, Diffusion MRI, Biomedical engineering
Abstract

The tractographic reconstruction of anatomical and microstructural features provided by Magnetic Resonance (MR) Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) gives essential information of brain damage in several pathological animal models. The optimization of a tractographic protocol is undertaken in normal rats for the future construction of a reference atlas, as prerequisite for preclinical pathological in-vivo studies. High field, preclinical in-vivo DTI faces important difficulties relevant to Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), distortion, high required resolution, movement sensitivity. Given a pixel-size of 0.17 mm and TE/TR = 29/6500 ms, b value and slice thickness were fixed at 700 s/mm(2) and 0.58 mm, respectively, on preventive ex-vivo studies. In-vivo studies led to the choice of 30 diffusion directions, averaged on 16 runs. The final protocol required 51 min scanning and permitted a reliable reconstruction of main rat brain bundles. Tract reconstruction stopping rules required proper setting. In conclusion, the viability of DTI tractography on in-vivo rat studies was shown, towards the construction of a normal reference atlas.

108. Combined DTI-fMRI Analysis for a Quantitative Assessment of Connections Between WM Bundles and Their Peripheral Cortical Fields in Verbal Fluency

Author

Giuseppe Baselli, Elisa Scaccianoce, Mario Clerici, Nikos Makris, Niels Bergsland, Maria Giulia Preti, George Papadimitriou, Maria Marcella Laganà, Francesca Baglio, and Pietro Cecconi

Subjects
Male, Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), Mapping brain connectivity, Brain mapping, 050105 experimental psychology, White matter, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Functional neuroimaging, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging, Multimodal imaging, Neural Pathways, medicine, Humans, Speech, Verbal fluency test, 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging, Gray Matter, Aged, Language, Cerebral Cortex, Brain Mapping, medicine.diagnostic_test, Resting state fMRI, Radiological and Ultrasound Technology, Functional Neuroimaging, 05 social sciences, Brain, Middle Aged, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, White Matter, Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Diffusion Tensor Imaging, medicine.anatomical_structure, Neurology, Female, Anatomy, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging, Neurology (clinical), Functional magnetic resonance imaging, Psychology, Radiology, Neuroscience, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery, Diffusion MRI, Tractography
Abstract

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are powerful techniques to elucidate the anatomical and functional aspects of brain connectivity. However, integrating these approaches to describe the precise link between structure and function within specific brain circuits remains challenging. In this study, a novel DTI-fMRI integration method is proposed, to provide the topographical characterization and the volumetric assessment of the functional and anatomical connections within the language circuit. In a group of 21 healthy elderly subjects (mean age 68.5 +/- 5.8 years), the volume of connection between the cortical activity elicited by a verbal fluency task and the cortico-cortical fiber tracts associated with this function are mapped and quantified. An application of the method to a case study in neuro-rehabilitation context is also presented. Integrating structural and functional data within the same framework, this approach provides an overall view of white and gray matter when studying specific brain circuits.

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