Diffusion MRI microstructure models with in vivo human brain Connectom data: results from a multi-group comparison

TL;DR

This study compares various diffusion MRI microstructure models using in vivo human brain data from the Connectom scanner, identifying which models best predict unseen data and establishing a benchmark for future research.

Contribution

It presents the first large-scale, head-to-head comparison of DW-MRI models using in vivo data, providing a benchmark and insights into model characteristics linked to prediction accuracy.

Findings

Certain models outperformed others in predicting unseen data

Model complexity correlated with prediction accuracy

The benchmark dataset is publicly available for future assessments

Abstract

A large number of mathematical models have been proposed to describe the measured signal in diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and infer properties about the white matter microstructure. However, a head-to-head comparison of DW-MRI models is critically missing in the field. To address this deficiency, we organized the "White Matter Modeling Challenge" during the International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI) 2015 conference. This competition aimed at identifying the DW-MRI models that best predict unseen DW data. in vivo DW-MRI data was acquired on the Connectom scanner at the A.A.Martinos Center (Massachusetts General Hospital) using gradients strength of up to 300 mT/m and a broad set of diffusion times. We focused on assessing the DW signal prediction in two regions: the genu in the corpus callosum, where the fibres are relatively straight and parallel, and the fornix, where the configuration of fibres is more complex. The challenge participants had access to three-quarters of the whole dataset, and their models were ranked on their ability to predict the remaining unseen quarter of data. In this paper we provide both an overview and a more in-depth description of each evaluated model, report the challenge results, and infer trends about the model characteristics that were associated with high model ranking. This work provides a much needed benchmark for DW-MRI models. The acquired data and model details for signal prediction evaluation are provided online to encourage a larger scale assessment of diffusion models in the future.