title: Does diffusion MRI tell us anything about the white matter? An overview of methods and pitfalls.
abstract: One key pitfall in diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) clinical neuroimaging research is the challenge of understanding and interpreting the results of a complex analysis pipeline. The sophisticated algorithms employed by the analysis software, combined with the relatively non-specific nature of many diffusion measurements, lead to challenges in interpretation of the results. This paper is aimed at an intended audience of clinical researchers who are learning about dMRI or trying to interpret dMRI results, and who may be wondering "Does dMRI tell us anything about the white matter?" We present a critical review of dMRI methods and measures used in clinical neuroimaging research, focusing on the most commonly used analysis methods and the most commonly reported measures. We describe important pitfalls in every section, and provide extensive references for the reader interested in more detail.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: odonnell@bwh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Lauren J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Ofer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pasternak
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D016880:Anisotropy; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated; D066127:White Matter / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
keywords: Clinical research; Diffusion MRI; Neuroimaging; Non-specificity; Tractography; White matter