Construction of a high-resolution human tractography atlas and its related toolbox

University Of Pittsburgh At Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

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Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY Mapping the human connectome and exploring its characteristics is one of the largest endeavors in the neuroscience field, but a detailed tractography atlas that provides the 3D trajectories in a standard space has yet to be constructed and validated. A tractography atlas can provide neuroanatomical insight into the structural organization of the human brain and allow for modeling, simulation, and confirmation of cortical connections to facilitate the new development of treatment and intervention for brain diseases. In this study, we propose to construct a high spatial and angular resolution tractography atlas using a large sample of the Human Connectome Project (HCP) diffusion MRI data, averaging them into a template for fiber tracking, validating the tracks by post-mortem Klingler microdissection on 100 cadavers under a neurosurgery microscope digitized using high resolution 3D scanners, and building a deep learning toolbox that allows for automatic track recognition in individuals. This study will construct the most detailed and accurate tractography of human connectome and provide a novel toolbox for future HCP data analysis.