Superficial white matter imaging: Contrast mechanisms and whole-brain in vivo mapping
- Date: Jan 21, 2021
- Time: 03:30 PM (Local Time Germany)
- Speaker: Evgeniya Kirilina
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
- Location: web-talk
- Room: Zoom-Meeting
- Host: Max Planck BioImaging Core Unit Network - Spotlight Talks
Meeting ID: 893 5672 0007 Passcode: 254362
Evgeniya Kirilina will talk about the following publication:
Superficial white matter imaging: Contrast mechanisms and whole-brain in vivo mapping
Superficial white matter (SWM) contains the most cortico-cortical white matter connections in the human brain encompassing the short U-shaped association fibers. Despite its importance for brain connectivity, very little is known about SWM in humans, mainly due to the lack of noninvasive imaging methods. Here, we lay the ground- work for systematic in vivo SWM mapping using ultrahigh resolution 7 T magnetic resonance imaging. Using bio - physical modeling informed by quantitative ion beam microscopy on postmortem brain tissue, we demonstrate that MR contrast in SWM is driven by iron and can be linked to the microscopic iron distribution. Higher SWM iron concentrations were observed in U-fiber-rich frontal, temporal, and parietal areas, potentially reflecting high fiber density or late myelination in these areas. Our SWM mapping approach provides the foundation for system- atic studies of interindividual differences, plasticity, and pathologies of this crucial structure for cortico-cortical connectivity in humans.