Multi-parametric characterization of thalamic nuclei based on manual delineation using the Synthetic MPRAGE images

The accurate delineation of thalamic nuclei is important in understanding the underlying pathophysiology associated with neurological disorders and in targeting specific thalamic nuclei in image guided interventions. However, sub-parcellation of the thalamic nuclei is challenging given the lack of contrast within the thalamus provided by conventional T1 or T2 images. In this study, we use synthesized MPRAGE images with different inversion time (TI) (SynTI) to accurately parcellate thalamic nuclei, as outlined by the Morel atlas. Additionally, we examined the distinct magnetic susceptibility and diffusion properties of individual nuclei, which can be used to further improve thalamic nuclei segmentation.