Diffusion MRI: Applications in the Brain

Abstract Diffusion MRI has become an invaluable tool for clinical neurology and added substantial contributions to the pathophysiological understanding of several neurological and psychiatric disorders. The main areas of application in clinical settings include stroke and other vasculopathies, brain infections, and tumors. On the research side, diffusion MRI has been largely used to investigate the clinical evolution of neuroinflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and neurodegenerative disorders, such as dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In psychiatry, diffusion imaging showed the ability to detect subtle brain tissue abnormalities that account for patients’ symptoms. This chapter aims at covering some of these areas with a special focus on quantitative approaches of diffusion imaging analyses.