Eleftheria Panagiotaki1, Torben Schneider1,2,
Bernard Siow1,3, Mark F. Lythgoe3, Matt G. Hall1,
Daniel C. Alexander1
1Centre for Medical Image
Computing, Dept. of Computer Science, University College London, London,
United Kingdom; 2Institute of Neurology, University College
London; 3Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging, University
College London
This study aims to identify the minimum requirements for an accurate model of the diffusion MR signal in white matter of the brain. We construct a hierarchy of multi-compartment models of white matter from combinations of simple models for the intra- and the extra-axonal spaces. We devise a new diffusion MRI protocol that provides measurements with a wide range of parameters for diffusion sensitization both parallel and perpendicular to white matter fibres. We use the protocol to acquire data from a fixed rat brain, which allows us to fit, study and compare the different models.