Using the biophysical CHARMED model to elucidate the underpinnings of contrast in diffusional kurtosis analysis of diffusion-weighted MRI

• Published in: Magma (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2012-08, Vol.25 (4), p.267-276
• Main Authors: De Santis, Silvia, Assaf, Yaniv, Jones, Derek K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering; Biophysical Phenomena; Brain - anatomy & histology; Computer Appl. in Life Sciences; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging - statistics & numerical data; Health Informatics; Humans; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; Imaging; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Models, Neurological; Radiology; Research Article; Solid State Physics
• ISSN: 0968-5243; 1352-8661
• DOI: 10.1007/s10334-011-0292-5

Object The aim of this work was to understand biophysical substrate underpinning contrast in diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) in white matter, using the composite hindered and restricted model of diffusion (CHARMED). Materials and methods A theoretical relationship between the kurtosis function K and the CHARMED parameters, i.e., the restricted volume fraction RF and the axonal longitudinal diffusivity D was derived for the propagator used in the CHARMED model. Evidence for a similar correlation between these measures was then investigated in vivo across different WM regions in five healthy young subjects that underwent a CHARMED protocol at 3T. Results Our theoretical treatment shows that K has an increasing trend for both increasing RF values and increasing D . In vivo, a significant positive correlation ( P