Neurite Microstructure Imaging in Neurodegenerative Disorders

Neurite microstructure imaging has emerged as a pivotal tool in characterising the cellular alterations underlying neurodegenerative disorders. By leveraging diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance techniques, researchers can non-invasively probe the morphology and organisation of axons and dendrites—collectively termed neurites—in both white and grey matter. Advanced biophysical models such as neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) and mean apparent propagator MRI (MAP-MRI) disentangle metrics of neurite density and orientation dispersion, offering markers sensitive to early neurodegenerative changes that precede macroscopic atrophy. Such metrics have illuminated the trajectories of Alzheimer’s disease, where increases in cortical mean diffusivity and reductions in neurite density index correlate with amyloid and tau pathology, and multiple sclerosis, where altered neurite dispersion reveals demyelinated lesions. Beyond diagnostic potential, microstructure imaging informs mechanisms of neuronal loss, guides patient stratification in clinical trials and holds promise for monitoring therapeutic efficacy. Its integration across global research platforms underscores both the scientific and clinical significance of neurite microstructure imaging in changing the landscape of neurodegenerative disease management.

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Neurite Microstructure Imaging in Neurodegenerative Disorders publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in neurite microstructure imaging in neurodegenerative disorders across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Diffusion MRI: Non-invasive imaging technique measuring the diffusion of water molecules to infer tissue microstructure.

Mean diffusivity: Quantitative metric of average water diffusion within tissue, sensitive to microstructural changes.

Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI): Multi-compartment diffusion model estimating neurite density and orientation dispersion.

Mean apparent propagator (MAP-MRI): Advanced diffusion method assessing the distribution of water molecule displacements to characterise tissue architecture.

Neurite density index: Fractional volume of axons and dendrites within a voxel, reflecting neuronal integrity.

Orientation dispersion index: Measure of variability in neurite orientations, indicating complexity of cellular architecture.

References

1. Diffusion MRI tracks cortical microstructural changes during the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Brain (2023).
2. Cortical microstructural associations with CSF amyloid and pTau. Molecular Psychiatry (2023).
3. Cortical tau is associated with microstructural imaging biomarkers of neurite density and dendritic complexity in Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & Dementia (2023).
4. Neuroimaging of tissue microstructure as a marker of neurodegeneration in the AT(N) framework: defining abnormal neurodegeneration and improving prediction of clinical status. Alzheimer's Research & Therapy (2023).
5. Neurite dispersion: a new marker of multiple sclerosis spinal cord pathology?. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology (2017).