Application of the DTI pipeline to the teenage substance abuse study

Key Investigators

• Utah: Gopalkrishna Veni, Sarang Joshi, Ross Whitaker

Project

Objective

Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DT-MRI) is considered as a powerful tool for learning white matter abnormalities in neuroimaging studies. Thus, the effect of teenage drug abuse has been studied by analyzing diffusion properties of white matter tracts measured by DT-MRI.

Approach, Plan

DTI atlas building is performed using a non-linear registration technique as explained in Casey’s DTI analysis pipeline [1] and neuro-imaging tools developed by UNC Neuro Image Analysis Laboratory (North Carolina, Chapel hill). This is followed by tract oriented analysis to understand the diffusion statistics of specific white matter tracts. The aim for the project week is to perform non-parametric regression of the scalar diffusion measures with respect to the age.

Progress

So far statistical analysis has been carried out on various white matter tracts including Genu and Splenium of Corpus Calossum, Cingulum, Fornix and Superior longitudinal Fasciculus (SLF) over which the regression has to be done.

References

1. Casey B. Goodlett, P. Thomas Fletcher, John H. Gilmore, Guido Gerig. Group Analysis of DTI Fiber Tract Statistics with Application to Neurodevelopment. NeuroImage 45 (1) Supp. 1, 2009. p. S133-S142.

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