Application of NODDI in Characterizing Brain Microstructural Changes in Classical Trigeminal Neuralgia

Motivation: While brain white-matter changes in classical trigeminal neuralgia (TN) can be detected utilizing DTI, individual tissue microstructural features, such as neurite density and orientation dispersions can be captures with Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), enabling more specific evaluation. Goal(s): To demonstrate brain microstructural changes in TN patients using the NODDI model. Approach: 39 left-TN and 37 right-TN patients were imaged at 3.0T using NODDI. Results: Reduced Intracellular volume fraction and increased Isotropic volume fraction were observed in both TN groups, indicating neurite (axons and dendrites) density reduction and inflammatory edema maybe involved in the pathophysiological mechanism of TN. Impact: This study highlights that NODDI technique contributes additional information about the neurite density and orientation dispersions in brain, directly relating to neuronal morphology. It offers greater specificity than DTI and improves the characterization of microstructural alterations in TN.