The computational simulation of brain connectivity using diffusion tensor MRI

Abstract

Water molecule diffusion in the brain is measured using a magnetic resonance imaging method. The anisotropy of the diffusion tensor is of particular interest in brain images, as it relates to white matter fibre tracts. Depending on the interrelation of eigenvalues, diffusion can be divided into the three cases of linear diffusion, planar diffusion and spherical diffusion. We present additional information from the (brain image) diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging of a patient with Parkinson's disease. This information includes maps of diffusion tensor components, fractional anisotropy and an fractional anisotropy weighted colour coded orientation. We also investigate linear diffusion, time fractional diffusion, and space fractional diffusion, as well as proposing computational simulations of connectivity in the brain using numerical methods for the analysis of diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging. References

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