Improving interaction and perception of brain structure using fiber clustering

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an emerging technique in magnetic resonance imaging. Recently, it has been the object of increased interest in neuroscience applications seeking to image brain fiber tracts. Examples are the identification of major white matter tracts in the human brain afflicted by a specific pathology or those particularly at risk for a given surgical approach.

Based on DTI data, fiber tracking now enables the geometrical reconstruction of such tracts.1 However, when attempting to visualize individual fibers, cluttered images are often generated, which makes insights difficult to obtain. It is also necessary to identify different fiber structures with anatomical significance for quantification and comparison purposes.