Structural Connectivity Mapping in Human Hippocampal-Subfields Using Super-Resolution Hybrid Diffusion Imaging: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Purpose The goal of the current study was to introduce a new methodology that holds a promise to be used in hippocampus-aging studies using sub-millimeter super-resolution hybrid diffusion imaging (HYDI) MRI. Methods HYDI diffusion data were acquired in two groups of older and younger healthy participants recruited from the Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and community. These data were then transformed into super-resolution diffusion images before the hippocampal subfield analyses. We studied the correlation between the subjects' age and the structural connectivity involving the hippocampal subfields and the connectivity between the whole hippocampus and the cerebral cortex. Results Structural integrity derived from the tractography streamlines between the hippocampal subfields was reduced in older than younger adults. Conclusion The findings offered a new promising framework, and they opened avenues for future studies to explore the relationship between the structural connectivity in the hippocampal area and different types of dementia.