cni » projects » mri protocol development » lsdi
LSDI for brain and spinal cord imaging
Attached media: Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4
Diffusion-weighted MRI is based on the application of large pulsed field gradients that sensitize the signal to diffusive motion. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was first described in 1994 by Basser et al. DTI might be useful, together with clinical follow-up, as an objective morphological marker in therapeutic trials. Diffusion appears promising as a means of assessing the structural integrity of white matter tracts and is an effective method to track fiber paths in the white matter in vivo. Quantification of tissue diffusion properties, such as apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and relative anisotropy (RA) requires data acquired with diffusion gradients applied along at least six directions. The quantified information can be color-coded onto anatomic images. In our lab, we have performing research of DTI using 1.5 Tesla or 3T, based on either line scan diffusion imaging (LSDI) or echo-planar imaging (EPI-DTI) pulse sequences. Examples of LSDI based diffusion map, acquired from a normal subject, are shown in the figure below.