Inferring the Localization of White-Matter Tracts using Diffusion Driven Label Fusion

Guillermo Gallardo (1) , Gaston Zanitti (2) , Mat Higger (3) , Sylvain Bouix (3) , Demian Wassermann (2)

1 IMPNSC - Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences [Leipzig]
2 PARIETAL - Modelling brain structure, function and variability based on high-field MRI data
3 PNL - Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory

Inferring which pathways are affected by a brain lesion is key for both pre and post-treatment planning. However, many disruptive lesions cause changes in the tissue that interrupt tractography algorithms. In such cases, aggregating information from healthy subjects can provide a solution to inferring the affected pathways. In this paper, we introduce a novel label fusion technique that leverages diffusion information to locate brain pathways. Through simulations and experiments in publicly available data we show that our method is able to correctly reconstruct brain pathways, even if they are affected by a focal lesion.

Domaines: Imagerie médicale; Neurosciences; Bio-informatique [q-bio.QM]

Guillermo Gallardo, Gaston Zanitti, Mat Higger, Sylvain Bouix, Demian Wassermann. Inferring the Localization of White-Matter Tracts using Diffusion Driven Label Fusion. 2021. ⟨hal-03360544v2⟩