TY - JOUR ID - 48382 TI - Improved human brain tractographs using multi-shell q-ball diffusion magnetic resonance imaging compared with DTI JO - Journal of Advanced Medical Sciences and Applied Technologies JA - JAMSAT LA - en SN - 2423-5903 AU - Haghighi, Fatemeh AU - Nezamzadeh, Marzieh AU - Mohammadi-Mobarakeh, Neda AD - Medical Physics Department, College of Medical Science, Tarbiat Modares University, 7 Jalal Al Ahmad Street, Tehran, Iran AD - Department of Radiology, Upstate Medical University, State University of New York, 750 E Adams st., Syracuse, NY 13210 AD - Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Department, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran Y1 - 2021 PY - 2021 VL - 6 IS - 1 SP - 14 EP - 23 KW - MRI KW - Diffusion tensor imaging KW - Multi-shell Q-ball Imaging KW - Tractography DO - 10.30476/jamsat.2021.48382 N2 - Introduction: Recently, it has been proven that assuming the Gaussian model in DTImethod is inappropriate for propagation in a complex substrate such as human braintissue. High Angular Resolution Diffusion Imaging (HARDI) (or so called q-ball imaging)is known as a model free method that allows to more accurately detect changes in diffusionwith different orientations. In this study, after finding the best angle threshold at the OpticRadiation (OR) level, the length and number of reconstructed nerve fibers in this anglewere measured using q-ball imaging and were compared with DTI.Materials and Method: Tractographs of q-ball images from the human brains of 10healthy volunteers (30 to 50 years old) were studied using a 3-Tesla scanner. 64 directionsof diffusion encoding in two b-values (1000 and 2000 s/mm2), were used for q-ballimaging and in routine b-value of 1000 s/mm2 for DTI. The tractographs were comparedat the OR level with the tractography based on q-ball and DTI images. The results wereanalyzed using t-test. The angle threshold for tractography was selected at 45 degrees bycomparing the tractographs in 13 angles.Conclusion: Consequently, the number and length of nerve fibers of OR, measured usingthe q-ball imaging, were significantly higher than those using the DTI. Finally, the betterquality of the tractographs as well as the analyzed quantities, are indicators of larger signalto-noise ratio in q-ball imaging and indicate that q-ball imaging compared to DTI plays animportant role in the development of brain nerve mapping. UR - https://jamsat.sums.ac.ir/article_48382.html L1 - https://jamsat.sums.ac.ir/article_48382_50fdce0ad22a74cefed5708d6a48d9da.pdf ER -