Yuli Zhang¹, Xianjun Li¹, Mengxuan Li¹, Chao Jin¹, Miaomiao Wang¹, Qinli Sun¹, Fan Wu¹, Congcong Liu¹, Yannan Chen¹, Xiaoyu Wang¹, Huifang Zhao¹, Cong Tian¹, Peiyao Chen¹, Xiaocheng Wei², and Jian Yang^1
1the First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China, ²2. MR Research China, GE Healthcare, Xi'an, China, China

Motor function development is a necessary condition for later life. It is closely related to cognitive psychological development¹. As an important white matter reflecting the motor function, clarify the asymmetry of corticospinal tract (CST) development, which is of great significance for revealing the developmental of behavior and exploring the mechanism of disease². This study aims to use DKI parameters investigate the asymmetry of CST development. Our results suggest that from 0-13 years old, there is hemispheric asymmetry in the development of CST, and they show left-sided dominance ;the asymmetry of CST appears at 6 months.

Manoj Kumar Sarma¹, Amrita Pal², Margaret A. Keller^3,4, Tamara Welikson⁵, Joseph Ventura⁶, David E. Michalik⁷, Karin Nielsen-Saines⁸, Jaime Deville⁸, Andrea Kovacs⁹, Eva Operskalski⁹, Joseph A. Church^9,10, Irwin Walot¹¹, Paul M. Macey², Bharat Biswal¹², and M. Albert Thomas^1
1Radiological Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ²UCLA School of Nursing, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ³Pediatrics, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, United States, ⁴The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, United States, ⁵Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ⁶Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ⁷Infectious Diseases-Pediatrics, Miller Children’s Hospital of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, United States, ⁸Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ⁹Pediatric, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ¹⁰Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ¹¹Radiology, Los Angeles County Harbor- UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, United States, ¹²Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, United States

We evaluated the functional brain activity in perinatally HIV-infected youth (PHIVY) on cART by quantifying the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and correlated with clinical and cognitive measures. We observed higher neural activity for ALFF in PHIVY compared to control. ALFF values in the cerebral white matter were positively correlated with viral load. Higher neural activity was associated with poorer performance in psychomotor function, abstract thinking, and social cognition. The findings suggest that long-term consequence of higher neuroinflammation and associated neurorepair in PHIVY may have a significant impact on regional spontaneous neuronal firing consequently impacting neurodevelopment and cognitive functioning.

Miaomiao Wang¹, Xianjun Li¹, Congcong Liu¹, Xiaoyu Wang¹, Yannan Cheng¹, Huifang Zhao¹, Xingxing Tao¹, Fan Wu¹, Yuli Zhang¹, Mengxuan Li¹, Cong Tian¹, Peiyao Chen¹, Chao Jin¹, XiaoCheng Wei², and Jian Yang^3
1Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China, ²MR Research China, GE Healthcare, Beijing, China, ³Department of Diagnostic Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China

Punctate white matter lesions (PWMLs) are common in the preterm. The mild PWMLs may result in cognitive impairments and lesion location is closely associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes. Accurate assessment of lesions location on qualitative MRI is difficult; therefore, this study aims to investigate the lesion-symptom relationship between locations of mild PWMLs and cognitive functioning in preterm infants at a corrected age of 3-6 months by diffusion tensor imaging. Lesion volume on IFOF_L is significantly larger in the cognitive delayed group than those in the normal group, and this is an independent factor (OR: 1.26) associated with the adverse cognitive development.

Manuel Blesa Cabez¹, Paola Galdi¹, Gemma Sullivan¹, Emily N. Wheater¹, David Q. Stoye¹, Gillian J. Lamb¹, Alan J Quigley², Michael J. Thrippleton¹, Mark E Bastin¹, and James P Boardman^1
1University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, ²Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Preterm birth is closely associated with cognitive impairment and generalised dysconnectivity of developing white matter. Peak width of skeletonised DTI (MD, RD, AD, FA) and NODDI (NDI, ODI) metrics were used for characterising global connectivity during brain development. PSNDI was an excellent predictor for prematurity with an accuracy of 81 ± 10 %, followed by PSMD that achieved an accuracy of 77 ± 9 %. We conclude that the high accuracy in prediction and the ease of computation of these biomarkers make them useful new metrics of diffuse brain connectivity in neonatal populations.

Jose Manuel Guerrero-Gonzalez¹, Peter Ferrazzano², and Andrew Alexander^1
1Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, United States, ²Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, United States

We present a multi-parameter tract profiling approach which allows for comparing diffusion imaging quantities between a single subject and a reference group along specific white matter path ways using the Mahalanobis distance (MaD). Implementation of MaD-Tract on a pediatric TBI-affected brain revealed several deviant tract segments in terms of elevated MaD values along multiple tracts compared to a group of healthy individuals. 

Tao Guo¹, Dawn Gano², Donna Ferriero², James barkovich¹, and Duan Xu^1
1Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States, ²Department of Neurology and Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States

We detected early developmental differences of white matter tracts in preterm infants with brain injury (BI). Nineteen preterm infants underwent two MRI scans. Microstructural development was analyzed combining conventional diffusion parameters and advanced NODDI parameters . We found BI preterm infants showed higher ODI in internal capsule, which was positively correlated with brain injuries severity; during the longitudinal period, most of the tracts in non-injured preterm infants had increased FA and Vic, decreased MD and ODI, while in BI preterm infants, only a few tracts developed. This study indicated white matter development was different in preterm infants with and without BI.

Joana S. de Almeida¹, Lara Lordier¹, Sebastien Courvoisier², François Lazeyras², and Petra Hüppi^1
1Department of Women-Children-Teenagers, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland, ²Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, CIBM, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

Dynamic brain macrostructural and microstructural changes occur from mid-fetal stage to birth. Prematurity disrupts brain maturation during this critical period and music might enhance activity-dependent-plasticity during early brain development. Using a longitudinal fixel-based analysis, we evaluated preterm brain macro and microscopic fiber changes from 33 weeks to term-age and the impact of music, during neonatal unit stay, on these changes. We show that fiber density (FD) and fiber-bundle cross-section (FC) increase in all major white-matter fibers over time, while in the cortex FD decreases and FC increases. Music intervention lead to a significant cortical FC increase in comparison to standard-of-care.

Deanne K Thompson^1,2,3,4, Joseph YM Yang^2,3,5,6, Jian Chen², Claire E Kelly^1,2, Chris L Adamson², Bonnie Alexander^1,2, Lillian G Matthews⁷, Katherine J Lee^1,3,8, Rod W Hunt^1,3,9, Jeanie LY Cheong^1,10,11, Megan Spencer-Smith^1,12, Marc L Seal^2,3, Terrie E Inder^1,7, Lex W Doyle^1,3,10,11, and Peter J Anderson^1,12
1Victorian Infant Brain Studies, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia, ²Developmental Imaging, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia, ³Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, ⁴Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Australia, ⁵Neuroscience Research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Australia, ⁶Department of Neurosurgery, the Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Australia, ⁷Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States, ⁸Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics Unit, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Australia, ⁹Neonatal Medicine, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Australia, ¹⁰Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Australia, ¹¹Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, ¹²Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Australia

Children born very preterm have altered myelination compared with full-term controls, but whether the T1-T2 ratio is a sensitive measure for understanding neurodevelopmental functioning remains unknown. This study found that the T1-T2 ratio trajectory between 7 and 13 years of age in the uncinate fasciculus was related to IQ scores, and 13-year T1-T2 ratios in almost all white matter regions were associated with motor functioning in both birth groups. Myelin development assessed using the T1-T2 ratio appears to be sensitive to predicting some neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Chih-Chien Tsai¹, Chia-Ling Chen^2,3, Yao-Liang Chen⁴, Jur-Shan Cheng⁵, Sung-han Lin⁶, and Jiun-Jie Wang^1,6,7
1Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang-Gung University, TaoYuan, Taiwan, ²Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, TaoYuan, Taiwan, ³Graduate Institute of Early Intervention, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, TaoYuan, Taiwan, ⁴Department of Medical Imaging and Intervention, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung, Taiwan, ⁵Clinical Informatics and Medical Statistics Research Center, Chang-Gung University, TaoYuan, Taiwan, ⁶Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Chang Gung University, TaoYuan, Taiwan, ⁷Medical Imaging Research Center, Institute for Radiological Research, Chang Gung University/Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, TaoYuan, Taiwan

Disruption to white matter pathways is an important contributor to the pathogenesis of cerebral palsy but fail to delineate white matter tracts with lesions precisely with conventional magnetic resonance imaging. Fixel-based analysis, which has recently emerged as a useful fiber-specific tool for examining white matter structure, was used in this study. Reductions of fixel-based metrics in patients with cerebral palsy are represented in the corpus callosum, superior/posterior thalamic radiation, optic radiation, superior longitudinal fasciculus, and cingulum with corresponding direction of fiber tract. By using fixel-based analysis, this study described the white matter differences during development in patients with cerebral palsy.

Mengxuan Li¹, Xianjun Li¹, Yuli zhang¹, Miaomiao Wang¹, Chao Jin¹, Congcong Liu¹, Yannan Cheng¹, Xiaoyu Wang¹, Huifang Zhao¹, Fan Wu¹, Cong Tian¹, Peiyao Chen¹, Xiaocheng Wei², and Jian Yang^1
1Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China, Xi'an, China, ²MR Research China, GE Healthcare, Bei Jing, China

The human brain develops rapidly from 28 days to children,there are distinct developmental trends at different ages.This period is important and difficult to acquire the images because of motion artifacts.Diffusion Tensor Imaging(DTI)was used to study brain structure.When analyzing DTI images of different individuals,a common standard space is needed to ensure the tissue diffusion information used for different individual images corresponds to the same spatial location.To understand how the human brain develops between 28 days and children,it is essential to make age-specific DTI templates for human brain.We built DTI templates for human brain of six periods from 28 days to children.

Mengxuan Li¹, Xianjun Li¹, Yuli zhang¹, Miaomiao Wang¹, Yannan Cheng¹, Congcong Liu¹, Chao Jin¹, Fan Wu¹, Xiaoyu Wang¹, Huifang Zhao¹, Cong Tian¹, Peiyao Chen¹, Xiaocheng Wei², and Jian Yang^1
1Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China, Xi'an, China, ²MR Research China, GE Healthcare, Bei Jing, China

Punctate white matter lesions (PWML)are common in preterm infants.Extensive microstructural changes were observed previously for different PWML grades by using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).However, the changes of intra-axon and extra-axon remain to be investigated. White matter tract integrity (WMTI)metrics derived from diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI)provide information of intra-axonal or extra-axonal spaces. Our study aimed to use WMTI metrics to detect the Microstructural Variations.Compared to DTI metrics, the change trends of fractional anisotropy (FA),axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD)are in agreement with previous findings.Furthermore, intra-axonal diffusivity (Da)unchange or reduce in lntra-axonal space.There were increased RDe, reduced/unchanged ADe in extra-axonal space.

Rachel M Graham¹, Betty Jayne Bellando¹, Seth Sorensen¹, Li Jiang², Charles M Glasier¹, Raghu H Ramakrishnaiah¹, Fang Lu¹, Amy C Rowell¹, and Xiawei Ou^1,2,3
1University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, LITTLE ROCK, AR, United States, ²Arkansas Children's Research Institute, LITTLE ROCK, AR, United States, ³Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, LITTLE ROCK, AR, United States

This prospective study examined the relationships between maternal depression and anxiety during pregnancy and newborn’s brain white matter development. Healthy pregnant women were recruited at the 3rd trimester. Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-II), and anxiety was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI). Their newborns underwent an MRI examination of the brain at 2 weeks of age, which included diffusion tensor imaging to evaluate white matter development. Fractional anisotropy (FA) maps were generated and correlated with the BDI and STAI scores using tract-based spatial statistics. Negative correlations between FA values and BDI/STAI scores were found in multiple white matter regions, suggesting that depression and anxiety during pregnancy may impact the in utero brain white matter development. 

Kirsten M Lynch¹, Ryan P Cabeen², Kristi A Clark², and Arthur W Toga^2
1Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ²Mark and Mary Stevens Institute for Neuroimaging and Informatics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States

White matter maturation is a heterogeneous phenomenon that can be probed by biophysical models. The purpose of this study was to characterize the development of white matter tracts with NODDI from infancy through adolescence. To probe the regional nature of white matter development, we use an along-tract approach to enable more fine-grained analysis. White matter tracts showed exponential age-related changes in NDI with spatially distinct maturational patterns. Our along-tract analyses elucidate hemispheric asymmetries within tracts which may be reflective of their functional specialization. Together, these results help to disentangle the processes that define the trajectory of white matter maturation.

Yu-Chieh Jill Kao^1,2,3, Chia-Feng Lu⁴, Bao-Yu Hsieh⁵, Chao-Ching Huang⁶, and Cheng-Yu Chen^1,2,3,7
1Neuroscience Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ²Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ³Translational Imaging Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ⁴Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ⁵Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, ⁶Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ⁷Department of Medical Imaging, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

Changes in diffusion tensor metrics within 6 h after hypoxic ischemia (HI) in different brain regions in neonatal rats is associated with the final lesion severity after hypoxic ischemia. We also demonstrated that the early changes within 6 h after HI may also correlate to the alteration in ultra-structure in the neurons and axons following the injury.

Xiaoyun Liang^1,2, Chun-Hung Yeh², Juan F Domínguez D¹, Govinda Poudel¹, and Karen Caeyenberghs^1
1Mary Mackillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia, ²Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death and disability in children and adolescents. Young TBI patients suffer from gross motor deficits, such as postural control deficits, which can severely compromise their daily life activities. Training programs have shown behavioral improvement; evidence of changes in WM morphology, however, has not been clear. We employ a fixel-based analysis (FBA) to investigate whether balance training results in significant changes of WM organization across whole brain in young TBI patients over time. Our results have shown that balance training induced signigicant macrostructural white matter changes (i.e. log-FC & FDC).  

Cong Tian¹, Chao Jin¹, Xingxing Tao¹, Xianjun Li¹, Miaomiao Wang¹, Congcong Liu¹, Yannan Cheng¹, Fan Wu¹, Yuli Zhang¹, Mengxuan Li¹, Xiaoyu Wang¹, Peiyao Chen¹, Huifang Zhao¹, Xiaocheng Wei², and Jian Yang^1
1the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China, ²MR Research China, GE Healthcare, Xi’an, China

Optic radiations(OR), which connecting the lateral geniculate nuclei and visual cortex, plays a critical role in visual function. Detailing the maturation process of OR is helpful in understanding the visual development and identifying the abnormalities. Diffusion tensor imaging can quantify the brain white matter development. Using DTI-based automating fiber-tract quantification, this study explored the spatiotemporal OR changes in children aged 3-13 years. Results indicated that the anterior, middle, and posterior segments of OR showed asynchronous developmental patterns. Specifically, the mid-segment of OR presented more mature than the anterior segment, while right OR showed more extended mature than left OR.