Diffusion tractography outside the brain: the road less travelled

Diffusion tractography is a powerful MRI technique for mapping fibrous tissue architecture, traditionally applied to the white matter of the brain. This report surveys the growing application of tractography to anatomical structures outside the brain, a domain that presents both unique challenges and unique opportunities. We examine its use in the heart, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, brachial plexus, kidney, skeletal muscle, and prostate. For each region, we detail the necessary methodological adaptations for acquisition, modeling, and processing, and highlight the unique anatomical information that can be derived for research and clinical applications. While significant challenges remain - spanning technical hurdles like physiological motion and susceptibility artifacts, to biological complexities like lower anisotropy and the interpretation of streamline validity - tractography beyond the brain provides invaluable, non-invasive insights into tissue micro-organization, opening a new frontier for biomedical imaging.

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Publication Details

Journal
Brain Structure and Function
Published
2026-01-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-025-03062-9
Primary Topic
Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Diffusion tractography outside the brain: the road less travelled

Rory L. Cochran, K. Schilling, Irvin Teh, Ibrahim Ibrahim et al.
Brain Structure and Function
Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
article

Diffusion tractography outside the brain: the road less travelled

Rory L. Cochran, K. Schilling, Irvin Teh, Ibrahim Ibrahim, Bruce Damon, Nian Wang, Richard Dortch, Julien Cohen-Adad, Alexander Leemans
article en

Abstract

Diffusion tractography is a powerful MRI technique for mapping fibrous tissue architecture, traditionally applied to the white matter of the brain. This report surveys the growing application of tractography to anatomical structures outside the brain, a domain that presents both unique challenges and unique opportunities. We examine its use in the heart, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, brachial plexus, kidney, skeletal muscle, and prostate. For each region, we detail the necessary methodological adaptations for acquisition, modeling, and processing, and highlight the unique anatomical information that can be derived for research and clinical applications. While significant challenges remain - spanning technical hurdles like physiological motion and susceptibility artifacts, to biological complexities like lower anisotropy and the interpretation of streamline validity - tractography beyond the brain provides invaluable, non-invasive insights into tissue micro-organization, opening a new frontier for biomedical imaging.

Brain Structure and FunctionVol. 231(1)
University of Leeds (GB), Carle Foundation Hospital (US), Barrow Neurological Institute (US), Harvard University (US), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US), Vanderbilt University (US), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine (CA), University Medical Center Utrecht (NL), Massachusetts General Hospital (US), Southwestern Medical Center (US), MaineGeneral Medical Center (US), Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (CZ), Advanced Imaging Research (United States) (US), Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute (CA), Southwestern Medical Center (US), Polytechnique Montréal (CA), Université de Montréal (CA), The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (US), Vanderbilt University Medical Center (US)
U.S. Department of Defense, British Heart Foundation, Ministerstvo Zdravotnictví Ceské Republiky, Agentura Pro Zdravotnický Výzkum České Republiky, National Institutes of Health, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
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