Multiscale analysis of superficial white matter organization in humans and non-human primates
Active Project Grant Awarded Last action
- Award ID
- F31NS145673
- Recipient
-
Trustees Of Boston University UEI FBYMGMHW4X95
- Awarding agency
-
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services
- Obligated
- $50,114
Award facts
- Assistance listing
- 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders
- Completion date 0% complete
- Place of performance
- Roxbury, MA 02118, USA
Award details come from USAspending.gov.
Description
- Abstract
- The superficial white matter (SWM) is a layer of axons directly under the cerebral cortex of the brain. This layer contains axons that interconnect adjacent brain regions and follows the contour of the cortical surface as well as axons that pass through the SWM to exit or enter the cerebral cortex. The interdigitation of these and other axons in the SWM creates a complex meshwork with a non-uniform orientation profile that makes IT difficult for non- invasive diffusion-MRI tractography algorithms to infer how fiber bundles connect to the cerebral cortex. Improvements in tractography could be made if ground truth anatomical information about the structural and connectional components of the SWM were known, but very little information is known about the connectivity and axonal composition, either in animal models frequently used to validate dmri through results from invasive experimental tract tracing experiments, such as the macaque monkey, or in the human brain. The most common anatomical method used in the human brain is the klingler-based microdissection approach, but this method suffers from a lack of objectivity and difficulty differentiating the superficial white matter from the cortex. Moreover, this method does not show obvious interdigitation of white matter bundles as shown by diffusion MRI techniques. In the current proposal, we seek to produce a better delineation of the organization of the superficial white matter using dissection methods combined with autofluorescence visualization. This combination will produce a detailed 3D reconstruction of the SWM during the klingler dissection process. We will perform this in the central sulcus of the macaque monkey brain and in the human brain and test the hypothesis that the SWM in macaque and human brains are characterized by complex arrangements of fiber bundles as shown by diffusion MRI and tract tracing methods. Second, we will confirm and extend these findings by examining the microscopic organization of superficial white matter in histological preparations from the superficial white matter from human and monkey brains. We will use serial paraffin sections stained with the bodian stain for neurofilaments to reconstruct tissue volumes, segment axons, and directly derive estimates of axonal orientation and density from the superficial white matter in the macaque monkey and human brains. Our preliminary data supports our approach, and we test the hypothesis that the SWM in monkeys and humans share similar organization in terms of axonal orientation. We will also compare these data to SWM samples from the same brain sample imaged at 9.4T. Overall, these data will provide important ground truth data on the organization of superficial white matter that will guide the improvement of microdissection and dmri-tractography. This research will be performed against a backdrop of detailed training in theoretical and practical neuroanatomy and neuroimaging to support my goal of becoming a cross-trained expert in both fields. Training will take place in the department of anatomy and neurobiology at boston university, a collaborative, resource-rich environment with a strong history of expertise in neuroanatomy.
Quick answers
Who received award F31NS145673?
F31NS145673 was awarded to Trustees Of Boston University by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (National Institutes of Health) on December 1, 2026.
How much is award F31NS145673 worth?
$50,114 has been obligated on F31NS145673.
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