ISMRM 21st Annual Meeting & Exhibition ○ 20-26 April 2013 ○ Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
WEEKEND EDUCATIONAL COURSE
Diffusion Goes Mad
SKILL LEVEL: Basic to Intermediate
ORGANIZERS: Adam W. Anderson, Ph.D. & Claudia A. Wheeler-Kingshott, Ph.D.
Saturday, 20 April 2013
14:00-18:15
 
OVERVIEW
The “Diffusion goes mad” course intends to experiment a new format of teaching and meeting the teachers. The first three lectures will explore the basics of diffusion imaging, from the diffusion tensor to more complex models of tissue microstructure. Three subsequent lectures will explore analysis of diffusion data, from simple single subject analysis to group analysis. At the end of all lectures there will be a long slot of time where teachers will stand by flipcharts distributed around the room. With the help of one or two scientists, speakers will be available to take questions in smaller groups. The aim is also to have a couple of flipcharts per topic so that one can take technical/theoretical questions while the other can be more practical/clinical.
 
TARGET AUDIENCE
Physicists/technologists/clinicians who wish to understand the basics and more advanced concepts of diffusion imaging, from both the acquisition and post processing point of view. The course will offer plenty of opportunities for discussion and questions at different levels through the use of flip-charts groups.
 
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

  • Understand the concept of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI);
  • Understand the limitations of DTI and the need for non-Gaussian diffusion models;
  • Understand the concept and limitation of q-space imaging;
  • Understand the diffusion approach to measuring tissue microstructure;
  • Understand the concept of distortion correction and image registration and relative issues;
  • Discuss group studies approaches, both for cross-sectional and longitudinal cohorts; and
  • Select the appropriate analysis method for their data.
 

PROGRAM

Moderators: Adam W. Anderson, Ph.D. & Claudia A. Wheeler-Kingshott, Ph.D.
         
14:00 From Diffusion Weighting to the Diffusion Tensor Indices Gareth J. Barker, Ph.D.
14:20 Advanced Models - Ball & Stick, Multi-Tensor, PASMRI & Etc… Noam Shemesh, Ph.D.
14:40 q-Space & Microstructure Yaniv Assaf, Ph.D.
         
15:00     Break - Meet the Teachers  
         
15:30 Single Subject Diffusion Analysis - ROI, Histogram, Tractography Mara Cercignani, Ph.D.
15:50 Distortion Correction & Registration Issues James C. Gee, Ph.D.
16:10 Group Studies of Diffusion Data - Cross Sectional & Longitudinal Challenges Stephen M. Smith, D.Phil.
         
16:30     Flip Charts - Meet the Experts  
         
18:00     Adjournment  
      18:00-18:15 Meet the Teachers