Mapping Cortical Fiber Orientations in Human Focal Cortical Dysplasias Using High-Resolution Diffusion MRI

Motivation: Detecting focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is critical for effective neurosurgical intervention but remains technically challenging. Recent MRI technical advancements may provide new opportunities for FCD detection. Goal(s): To determine the potential of high-resolution DTI to map cortical fiber orientation changes in FCD. Approach: High-resolution (1 mm isotropic) DTI data were acquired on six epilepsy patients with suspected FCD. A surface-based analysis workflow was built to assess the principal fiber orientations against the cortical surface. Results in FCD were compared to the contralateral homologous region. Results: All patients show differences in cortical fiber orientations between FCD and the contralateral presumed normal cortex. Impact: Our study documents that high-resolution diffusion MRI can detect cortical fiber orientation changes in human FCD in vivo, which can be a novel surrogate maker for FCD detection.