Using light and X-ray scattering to untangle complex neuronal orientations and validate diffusion MRI

Menzel, Miriam; Gräßel, David; Rajkovic, Ivan; Zeineh, Michael M.; Georgiadis, Marios

doi:10.7554/elife.84024

Using light and X-ray scattering to untangle complex neuronal orientations and validate diffusion MRI

Journal Article · Thu May 11 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · eLife

DOI:https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.84024· OSTI ID:2471707

^[1]; ^[2]; Rajkovic, Ivan ^[3]; Zeineh, Michael M. ^[4]; ^[4]

Delft University of Technology (Netherlands); Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH (Germany)
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH (Germany)
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Stanford School of Medicine, CA (United States)

Disentangling human brain connectivity requires an accurate description of nerve fiber trajectories, unveiled via detailed mapping of axonal orientations. However, this is challenging because axons can cross one another on a micrometer scale. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) can be used to infer axonal connectivity because it is sensitive to axonal alignment, but it has limited spatial resolution and specificity. Scattered light imaging (SLI) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) reveal axonal orientations with microscopic resolution and high specificity, respectively. Here, we apply both scattering techniques on the same samples and cross-validate them, laying the groundwork for ground-truth axonal orientation imaging and validating dMRI. We evaluate brain regions that include unidirectional and crossing fibers in human and vervet monkey brain sections. SLI and SAXS quantitatively agree regarding in-plane fiber orientations including crossings, while dMRI agrees in the majority of voxels with small discrepancies. We further use SAXS and dMRI to confirm theoretical predictions regarding SLI determination of through-plane fiber orientations. Scattered light and X-ray imaging can provide quantitative micrometer 3D fiber orientations with high resolution and specificity, facilitating detailed investigations of complex fiber architecture in the animal and human brain.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-76SF00515

OSTI ID:: 2471707

Journal Information:: eLife, Journal Name: eLife Vol. 12; ISSN 2050-084X

Publisher:: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd.Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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