SPIE 2012 DTI Workshop

(Note: This a proposal under consideration.)

Exploring Brain Connectivity in-vivo: from Theory to Practice - A hands-on analysis workshop on Diffusion MRI by the National Alliance for Medical Image Computing (NA-MIC)

Course Description:

The development of Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DT-MRI) has opened up the possibility of studying the complex organization of the brain's white matter in-vivo. By measuring the diffusion of water molecules in tissues, the technique gives insights into the structure and orientation of major white matter pathways, and DT-MRI findings have the potential to play a critical role in the extraction of meaningful information for diagnosis, prognosis and following of treatment response. The course will guide participants through the fundamental aspects of DT-MRI data analysis, as well as the challenges of transferring cutting-edge DT-MRI techniques to clinical routine. The format will include a series of hands-on sessions with the participants running DT-MRI analysis on their own laptops, to provide a practical experience of extracting useful clinical information from Diffusion MR images. Participants will be guided through an integrated workflow for exploring the brain white matter in a series of datasets that will be provided as part of the course. The hands-on sessions will use DT-MRI tools from the NA-MIC toolkit, which include the 3DSlicer software, an open-source platform for medical image processing and 3D visualization used in biomedical and clinical research. This event is part of the on-going effort of the NIH-funded National Alliance for Medical Image Computing (NA-MIC) to transfer the latest advances in biomedical image analysis to the scientific and clinical community.

Venue

This is a workshop proposal for a Hands On Diffusion Tensor Imaging Workshop at SPIE Medical Imaging 2012, Feb.4-9, San Diego, California.

Faculty

• Sonia Pujol, Ph.D., Surgical Planning Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
• Martin Styner, Ph.D.,Neuro Image Research and Analysis Laboratory, University of North Carolina
• Guido Gerig, Ph.D., The Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah

Learning Outcomes

This course will enable you to:

• identify the different components of a DT-MRI fiber tract analysis pipeline
• perform DWI/DTI data quality control
• visualize 3D tensor fields and diffusion-derived maps
• generate 3D reconstructions of white matter tracts in a normal subject and pathological case
• extract and visualize DTI fiber tract profiles
• identify the current challenges inherent in using DT-MRI data in the clinics

Intended Audience

Scientists, engineers, and clinical researchers who are interested in learning how to use Diffusion Tensor MR Imaging for mapping the white matter of the human brain in health and disease.