Tract-specific myelin mapping using magnetization transfer-prepared diffusion imaging: comparison with conventional MTR tractometry

Tractometry is a technique used to investigate the microstructure variations along white matter tracts or to reconstruct microstructure-weighted connectivity matrices. However, partial volume effects from crossing fibers bias the individual fiber measurements and conceal subtle differences. Here, we compare MTR tractometry to a novel approach using dual-encoded MT-weighted DWI analyzed using COMMIT to disentangle the MTR signal of individual white matter fibers. The results show a broader distribution in edge MTR values for the dual-encoding approach in comparison to tractometry. Both techniques show similar spatial MTR patterns, however the dual-encoded MT-weighted DWI approach shows a higher pattern of inter-individual variability.