tensoriimaging
Tensor imaging, also known as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), is an advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique. It leverages the diffusion of water molecules within biological tissues to create images that reveal information about tissue microstructure. Unlike conventional MRI, which primarily assesses water content and relaxation times, DTI quantifies the directionality and magnitude of water diffusion. Water molecules naturally move randomly in all directions within a uniform medium. However, in tissues like the brain's white matter, diffusion is restricted by the highly organized structures of nerve fibers (axons) and their myelin sheaths. This directional diffusion, known as anisotropy, is what DTI exploits.
The core of DTI involves applying magnetic gradients in multiple directions during the MRI scan. By measuring
These derived metrics allow for the reconstruction of white matter tracts through a process called tractography.