Gibbs tracking: A novel approach for the reconstruction of neuronal pathways

Abstract

Reconstruction of neuronal fibers using diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI is an emerging method in biomedical research. Existing fiber-tracking algorithms are commonly based on the "walker principle." Fibers are reconstructed as trajectories of "walkers," which are guided according to local diffusion properties. In this study, a new method of fiber tracking is proposed that does not engage any "walking" algorithm. It resolves a number of inherent problems of the "walking" approach, in particular the reconstruction of crossing and spreading fibers.

MR connectomics: Principles and challenges

“…Hagmann ( Poupon et al (2001), Kreher et al (2008) trajectory always tangent to the local vector; it creates a streamline. The very first tractography algorithms published were of that kind (Conturo et al, 1999;Mori et al, 1999;Wedeen, 1996), but very quickly as people started to understand the intrinsic limitation of DTI, they realized that such a simple solution was the source of very obvious artifacts.…”

Local and Global Fiber Tractography in Patients with Epilepsy

“…9,10,19 In global tracking, the reconstructed fibers are built by small line segments (initially hundreds in each voxel) that represent the diffusion anisotropy (On- Line Fig 1E-G). During optimization, an iterative process is repeated with an order of 10 8 iterations, and the elements bind together in an annealing simulation.…”

“…Finally, only aligned elements remain bound to each other according to the diffusion information of the brain. 9 It has been suggested that global tractography overcomes the common issue of fiber crossings. 10 The superiority of this algorithm has been proven in a study comparing 10 different algorithms on a phantom that mimics fiber crossing and bending.…”

A Novel Global Tractography Algorithm Based on an Adaptive Spin Glass Model

“…Moreover, further decomposition of fibers into morphological descriptors (e.g., length, curvature) for shape analysis becomes difficult. Recently, global alternatives to tractography were developed [4,5]. In those, the entire neural pathway is the parameter to be optimized, which elegantly adds robustness to deterministic tractography.…”