Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW MRI) provides information about the cellular structure and thus can be successfully used for non-invasive assessment of the brain microstructure. Characterization of white matter by DW MRI shows high sensitivity to changes occurring during brain maturation and aging, as well as to a wide range of neurological diseases. Additionally, it is currently the only technique capable of in vivo mapping the white matter pathways.

During this seminar, I will introduce the most important topics related to the DW MRI, including the diffusion-weighted data acquisition and diffusion tensor imaging. In addition, I will discuss multicompartment models and the accuracy of their use with diffusion-relaxometry data and various optimization algorithms, as well as tractography algorithms and their application in the analysis of brain maturation and aging.