Network-Based Imaging and Connectomics

Abstract

The field of functional neurosurgery has evolved in tandem with advances in imaging techniques, from the invention of X-rays leading to ventriculography and angiography, which saw the development of stereotactic frames, to the development of conventional MRI techniques, which have allowed for direct surgical targeting and verification based on directly visualised anatomy. Developments in MRI connectivity methods have enabled the exploration of neural networks modulated by surgery. These techniques have been exploited to identify and segment targets not readily visible on conventional MRI, refine existing targets by mapping out functional subzones within the target and explore new diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers. This chapter presents an overview of these connectivity techniques, with an exemplary focus on the application of diffusion connectivity in tremor surgery.