Diffusion MRI

Diffusion MRI, or D-MRI (sometimes termed Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging) is a medical imaging technique specifically concerned with using the diffusion of water molecules throughout both the blood and bodily tissues to build up a contrast map of a living, organic body.

This creates a microscopic-level detail map about systems in the body, particularly as the patterns of water diffusion are recognisable for what they are: Namely which tissue structure from the gaps in diffusion, exists in a given location.

As such, diffusion MRI is an excellent tool for mapping neurological structures in particular, making it that much easier to see how the structures are laid out, and making connecting with a particular structure via implant or interface much more feasible than without.

As such, its primary usage in relation to virtual and augmented reality is to map out precisely the locations of given neurological structures, in order to identify the optimal location for a brain implant in a later surgery. This is a process known as tractography, and one which has benefits across all of neuroscience.

Additionally, as a MRI variant, D-MRI is also used more directly as a virtual reality data input, as the results from the scan can be compiled by many medical data imaging systems into a medical mirror world, a virtual environment precisely replicating the inside of a region of a patient's body via mappingthe water diffusuion, allowing medical professionals to interact with the datsa in three dimensions, isolating the best route for a future surgery.

D-MRI scans are natively in the DICOM or PACS medical imaging data formats. Which one was used depending entirely on the country the scanner was located in, as such the scan format is standardised for use as input in medical VR in this manner.

See Also: Brain-Computer Interface, Deep Brain Stimulator, Neuroprosthetic, Mirror World, Tractography

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D-MRI Diffusion MRI

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Brain Reading: Diffusion Spectrum Imaging
Diffusion spectrum imaging is a new technique at time of writing, which allows magnetic resonance brain imaging, at a much higher level of fidelity than fMRI permits.

The Brain Unveiled
Technology Review's long, and in depth look at the rise of diffusion spectrum imaging, and how this new neural interface imaging technique is rapidly accelerating the study of both human and animal brains to an extent unparalleled by any previous imaging technique, even fMRI.

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