Modelling brain connectivity challenges and opportunities [1 ECTS]

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) is an invaluable tool in neuroscience, as it allows researchers to study non-invasively the neuronal architecture of the brain using the so-called "tractography" algorithms. Despite this unique and compelling ability, recent studies have showed that the reconstructions are unfortunately neither quantitative nor anatomical accurate, de facto limiting their application in clinical studies. This course will introduce the basics of DW-MRI and the main tractography algorithms, followed by a critical analysis of their strengths and, most importantly, their limitations. I will then present a novel field of research named "microstructure informed tractography" which aims to drastically improve the quality of the reconstructions and, in particular, I will focus on the Convex Optimization Modeling for Microstructure Informed Tractography (COMMIT) and will show some possibilities that this framework offers.

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