Modeled and model-free diffusion process assessment in tissues by magnetic resonance imaging - a short review

摘要

Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) is a non-invasive tool toobtain information on the neural architecture in vivo. Among MR diffusion assessmenttechniques, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has become the most popular. However,DTI suffers from intrinsic methodological limitations. The main drawback is theinability of the model to cope with non-Gaussian diffusion. DTI assumes that thediffusion in neural tissue is Gaussian (i.e. free, fast exchange across cellularcompartments and with no restriction). DTI is unable to separate multiplecompartments (partial volume effects, multiple fiber orientations etc.). The objectivesof the present paper are to learn about the limits of the Gaussian diffusion model whenapplied to biological tissues and about model-free MR diffusion techniques.