Abstract
Quantification of the living human visual system using MRI methods has been challenging, but several applications demand a reliable and time-efficient data acquisition protocol. In this study, we demonstrate the utility of high-spatial-resolution diffusion tensor fiber tractography (DTT) in reconstructing and quantifying the human visual pathways. Five healthy males, age range 24-37. years, were studied after approval of the institutional review board (IRB) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. We acquired diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data with 1-mm slice thickness on a 3.0-Tesla clinical MRI scanner and analyzed the data using DTT with the fiber assignment by continuous tractography (FACT) algorithm. By utilizing the high-spatial-resolution DTI protocol with FACT algorithm, we were able to reconstruct and quantify bilateral optic pathways including the optic chiasm, optic tract, optic radiations free of contamination from neighboring white matter tracts.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 796-803 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Magnetic Resonance Imaging |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2014 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Calcarine cortex
- Diffusion tensor imaging
- Diffusion tensor tractography
- High spatial resolution
- Human visual system
- Occipital lobe
- Optic chiasm
- Optic nerve
- Optic radiations
- Optic tract
- Retinogeniculocalcarine tract
- Visual pathways
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biophysics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging