Automate White Matter Parcellation Based on Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Unmet Need
MRI is evolving into the diagnostic imaging tool of choice for imaging the central nervous system, particularly for detecting brain tumors and spine lesions, imaging blood vessels, and imaging stroke-affected areas of the brain. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) MRI techniques measure the diffusion of water molecules in biological tissues in multiple directions. This technology allows researchers to assemble brain maps of fiber directions to examine the connectivity of different regions in the brain.  These brain maps are used to examine areas of neural degeneration and demyelination in diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s. The efficacy of DTI currently is limited by the practitioner’s experience and anatomical knowledge of the brain and by suboptimal image quality. There is a need in the field for a system and method for automated tracking and mapping of fiber tracts in human brain white matter using DTI.

Technology Overview
The inventors have developed an algorithm to automatically parcellate brain white matter based on new contrasts in DTI. The algorithm contains three methods for automated white matter data acquisition. The first method allows users to specify multiple regions of interest (ROI). The second method involves tract reconstruction to identify the coordinates of white matter tracts. The third method efficiently identifies brain locations that belong to specific tract systems. Additionally, gray and white matter can be delineated based on fiber orientation and diffusion information obtained from DTI.

Stage of Development
The inventors have developed an algorithm for efficient parcellation of brain white matter. The inventors’ next steps are to use the software to update current MRI imagers especially for interventional MRI in brain surgery as well as diffusion imaging.

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