Human cervical spinal cord funiculi: investigation with magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging.
OBJECTIVE
To use spinal cord diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for investigating human cervical funiculi, acquire axial diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data with an in-plane resolution sufficient to delineate subquadrants within the spinal cord, obtain corresponding DTI metrics, and assess potential regional differences.


METHODS
Healthy volunteers were studied with a 3 T Siemens Trio MRI scanner. DTI data were acquired using a single-shot spin echo EPI sequence. The spatial resolution allowed for the delineation of regions of interest (ROIs) in the ventral, dorsal, and lateral spinal cord funiculi. ROI-based and tractography-based analyses were performed.


RESULTS
Significant fractional anisotropy (FA) differences were found between ROIs in the dorsal and ventral funiculi (P = 0.0001), dorsal and lateral funiculi (P = 0.015), and lateral and ventral funiculi (P = 0.0002). Transverse diffusivity was significantly different between ROIs in the ventral and dorsal funiculi (P = 0.003) and the ventral and lateral funiculi (P = 0.004). Tractography-based quantifications revealed DTI parameter regional differences that were generally consistent with the ROI-based analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Original contributions are: 1) the use of a tractography-based method to quantify DTI metrics in the human cervical spinal cord, and 2) reported DTI values in various funiculi at 3 T.
Onu
Mihaela
M
Department of Biophysics, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
Gervai
Patricia
P
Cohen-Adad
Julien
J
Lawrence
Jane
J
Kornelsen
Jennifer
J
Tomanek
Boguslaw
B
Sboto-Frankenstein
Uta Nicola
UN
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016880:Anisotropy; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology*; D051598:Whole Body Imaging / Q000379:methods