In vivo fiber tractography using DT-MRI data

Fiber tract trajectories in coherently organized brain white matter pathway s were computed from in vivo diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (D T-MRI) data. First, a continuous diffusion tensor field is constructed from this discrete, noisy, measured DT-MRI data. Then a Frenet equation, descri bing the evolution of a fiber tract, was solved. This approach was validate d using synthesized, noisy DT-MRI data. Corpus callosum and pyramidal tract trajectories were constructed and found to be consistent with known anatom y. The method's reliability, however, degrades where the distribution of fi ber tract directions is nonuniform. Moreover, background noise in diffusion -weighted MRIs can cause a computed trajectory to hop from tract to tract. Still, this method can provide quantitative information with which to visua lize and study connectivity and continuity of neural pathways in the centra l and peripheral nervous systems in vivo, and holds promise for elucidating architectural features in other fibrous tissues and ordered media. Publish ed 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.(dagger)