A diffusion MRI model for random walks confined on cylindrical surfaces: towards non-invasive quantification of myelin sheath radius
IntroductionQuantifying the myelin sheath radius of myelinated axons in vivo is important for understanding, diagnosing, and monitoring various neurological disorders. Despite advancements in diffusion MRI (dMRI) microstructure techniques, there are currently no models specifically designed to estim...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2025.1516630/full |
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| author | Erick J. Canales-Rodríguez Erick J. Canales-Rodríguez Erick J. Canales-Rodríguez Chantal M. W. Tax Chantal M. W. Tax Elda Fischi-Gomez Elda Fischi-Gomez Elda Fischi-Gomez Derek K. Jones Jean-Philippe Thiran Jean-Philippe Thiran Jean-Philippe Thiran Jonathan Rafael-Patiño Jonathan Rafael-Patiño |
| author_facet | Erick J. Canales-Rodríguez Erick J. Canales-Rodríguez Erick J. Canales-Rodríguez Chantal M. W. Tax Chantal M. W. Tax Elda Fischi-Gomez Elda Fischi-Gomez Elda Fischi-Gomez Derek K. Jones Jean-Philippe Thiran Jean-Philippe Thiran Jean-Philippe Thiran Jonathan Rafael-Patiño Jonathan Rafael-Patiño |
| author_sort | Erick J. Canales-Rodríguez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionQuantifying the myelin sheath radius of myelinated axons in vivo is important for understanding, diagnosing, and monitoring various neurological disorders. Despite advancements in diffusion MRI (dMRI) microstructure techniques, there are currently no models specifically designed to estimate myelin sheath radii.MethodsThis proof-of-concept theoretical study presents two novel dMRI models that characterize the signal from water diffusion confined to cylindrical surfaces, approximating myelin water diffusion. We derive their spherical mean signals, eliminating fiber orientation and dispersion effects for convenience. These models are further extended to account for multiple concentric cylinders, mimicking the layered structure of myelin. Additionally, we introduce a method to convert histological distributions of axonal inner radii from the literature into myelin sheath radius distributions. We also derive analytical expressions to estimate the effective myelin sheath radius expected from these distributions.Results and DiscussionMonte Carlo (MC) simulations conducted in cylindrical and spiral geometries validate the models. These simulations demonstrate agreement with analytical predictions. Furthermore, we observe significant correlations between the effective radii derived from histological distributions and those obtained by fitting the dMRI signal to a single-cylinder model. These models may be integrated with existing multi-compartment dMRI techniques, opening the door to non-invasive in vivo assessments of myelin sheath radii. Such assessments would require MRI scanners equipped with strong diffusion gradients, allowing measurements with short echo times. Further work is required to validate the technique with real dMRI data and histological measurements. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1fa894a6abea43e9953702845e8cfa39 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2296-424X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Physics |
| spelling | doaj-art-1fa894a6abea43e9953702845e8cfa392025-08-20T03:16:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Physics2296-424X2025-03-011310.3389/fphy.2025.15166301516630A diffusion MRI model for random walks confined on cylindrical surfaces: towards non-invasive quantification of myelin sheath radiusErick J. Canales-Rodríguez0Erick J. Canales-Rodríguez1Erick J. Canales-Rodríguez2Chantal M. W. Tax3Chantal M. W. Tax4Elda Fischi-Gomez5Elda Fischi-Gomez6Elda Fischi-Gomez7Derek K. Jones8Jean-Philippe Thiran9Jean-Philippe Thiran10Jean-Philippe Thiran11Jonathan Rafael-Patiño12Jonathan Rafael-Patiño13Department of Radiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, SwitzerlandComputational Medical Imaging and Machine Learning Section, Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM), Lausanne, SwitzerlandSignal Processing Laboratory 5 (LTS5), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, SwitzerlandImage Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, NetherlandsCardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, United KingdomDepartment of Radiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, SwitzerlandComputational Medical Imaging and Machine Learning Section, Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM), Lausanne, SwitzerlandSignal Processing Laboratory 5 (LTS5), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, SwitzerlandCardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, United KingdomDepartment of Radiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, SwitzerlandComputational Medical Imaging and Machine Learning Section, Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM), Lausanne, SwitzerlandSignal Processing Laboratory 5 (LTS5), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Radiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, SwitzerlandSignal Processing Laboratory 5 (LTS5), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, SwitzerlandIntroductionQuantifying the myelin sheath radius of myelinated axons in vivo is important for understanding, diagnosing, and monitoring various neurological disorders. Despite advancements in diffusion MRI (dMRI) microstructure techniques, there are currently no models specifically designed to estimate myelin sheath radii.MethodsThis proof-of-concept theoretical study presents two novel dMRI models that characterize the signal from water diffusion confined to cylindrical surfaces, approximating myelin water diffusion. We derive their spherical mean signals, eliminating fiber orientation and dispersion effects for convenience. These models are further extended to account for multiple concentric cylinders, mimicking the layered structure of myelin. Additionally, we introduce a method to convert histological distributions of axonal inner radii from the literature into myelin sheath radius distributions. We also derive analytical expressions to estimate the effective myelin sheath radius expected from these distributions.Results and DiscussionMonte Carlo (MC) simulations conducted in cylindrical and spiral geometries validate the models. These simulations demonstrate agreement with analytical predictions. Furthermore, we observe significant correlations between the effective radii derived from histological distributions and those obtained by fitting the dMRI signal to a single-cylinder model. These models may be integrated with existing multi-compartment dMRI techniques, opening the door to non-invasive in vivo assessments of myelin sheath radii. Such assessments would require MRI scanners equipped with strong diffusion gradients, allowing measurements with short echo times. Further work is required to validate the technique with real dMRI data and histological measurements.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2025.1516630/fulldiffusion MRImyelin waterMonte Carlo simulationswhite matter microstructuremyelin sheath radius |
| spellingShingle | Erick J. Canales-Rodríguez Erick J. Canales-Rodríguez Erick J. Canales-Rodríguez Chantal M. W. Tax Chantal M. W. Tax Elda Fischi-Gomez Elda Fischi-Gomez Elda Fischi-Gomez Derek K. Jones Jean-Philippe Thiran Jean-Philippe Thiran Jean-Philippe Thiran Jonathan Rafael-Patiño Jonathan Rafael-Patiño A diffusion MRI model for random walks confined on cylindrical surfaces: towards non-invasive quantification of myelin sheath radius Frontiers in Physics diffusion MRI myelin water Monte Carlo simulations white matter microstructure myelin sheath radius |
| title | A diffusion MRI model for random walks confined on cylindrical surfaces: towards non-invasive quantification of myelin sheath radius |
| title_full | A diffusion MRI model for random walks confined on cylindrical surfaces: towards non-invasive quantification of myelin sheath radius |
| title_fullStr | A diffusion MRI model for random walks confined on cylindrical surfaces: towards non-invasive quantification of myelin sheath radius |
| title_full_unstemmed | A diffusion MRI model for random walks confined on cylindrical surfaces: towards non-invasive quantification of myelin sheath radius |
| title_short | A diffusion MRI model for random walks confined on cylindrical surfaces: towards non-invasive quantification of myelin sheath radius |
| title_sort | diffusion mri model for random walks confined on cylindrical surfaces towards non invasive quantification of myelin sheath radius |
| topic | diffusion MRI myelin water Monte Carlo simulations white matter microstructure myelin sheath radius |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2025.1516630/full |
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