White Matter Axonal Guidance with SpikeFun v0.54

Submitted by idimkovic on Sun, 01/22/2012 - 23:26

SpikeFun v0.54 has just been released and it adds the ability to follow anatomical data related to axonal pathways (connectomes). During the simulation build-up, SpikeFun will use connectivity matrices to route parts of axons belonging to pyramidal and thalamic relay neurons. This feature is in a very early stage, so expect lots of improvements and better precision in the future.

Connectivity data itself has been created by analyzing Diffusion Spectrum Imaging ("DSI") data. Diffusion Spectrum Imaging is a recently developed method which allows identification of axonal bundle pathways through the white matter even in case of fiber crossings, which was not previously possible (with methods such as Diffusion Tensor Imaging). Current connectivity data has been compiled out of 5 million fibers and it is applied directly to SpikeFun cortical surface model.

Picture below shows fibers identified by analyzing the DSI data related to the whole brain. Fiber identification and rendering is done by DSI Studio:

DSI Tractography:

DSI