Visualizing cortical laminar architecture in the living human brain using next-generation ultra-high-gradient diffusion MRI
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Characterizing cortical laminar microstructure is essential for understanding the organization of the human brain. Leveraging the next-generation Connectome MRI scanner (maximum gradient strength=500mT/m, slew rate=600 T/m/s), we characterized in vivo cortical laminar cytoarchitecture and myeloarchitecture through cortical depth-dependent analyses of soma and neurite density imaging (SANDI) metrics derived from 1 mm diffusion MRI generated using a super-resolution technique. SANDI revealed distinct laminar profiles: intra-soma signal fraction peaked at ~55% cortical depth, while the intra-neurite signal fraction increased toward deeper cortical layers, consistent with known histological patterns. The visual cortex showed higher intra-soma signal fraction than the motor cortex, particularly in deeper layers. Intra-soma signal fraction correlated positively with cortical curvature in superficial layers and negatively in deeper layers, indicating layer-specific relationships between cortical microstructure and geometry. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of noninvasive mapping of laminar architecture, offering a potential in vivo surrogate for histology and enabling future studies of cortical laminar organization using high-performance gradient MRI.
Source: Communications Biology
Authors: Hansol Lee, Hansol Lee, Yixin Ma, Kwok-Shing Chan, Eva A. Krijnen, Laleh Eskandarian, Aneri Bhatt, Julianna Gerold, Mirsad Mahmutovic, Oula Puonti, Xiangrui Zeng, Lucas Jacob Deden Binder, Bruce Fischl, Boris Keil, Gabriel Ramos-Llordén, Eric C. Klawiter, Hong-Hsi Lee, Hong-Hsi Lee, Susie Y. Huang
Institutions: Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen, Amager Hospital, Hvidovre Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Philipps University of Marburg, Universitätsklinikum Gießen und Marburg
Language: English
Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,190
Awards: G301390710, G4140953208, G9000000615, G9000026741, G9000032172, G9000052245, Submillimeter resolution diffusion MRI of the medial temporal lobe in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, Connectome 2.0: A BRAIN Technology Integration and Dissemination Resource for Ultra-High Gradient Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Human Brain Circuits Across Scales, Revealing tissue microstructure in the brain gray matter in Alzheimer's disease using in vivo high-gradient diffusion MRI, Developing a validated biomarker of cortical neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease using high-gradient diffusion MRI
OpenAlex ID: W7140107183