Fusing DTI and fMRI data: a survey of methods and applications

Abstract

The relationship between brain structure and function has been one of the centers of research in neuroimaging for decades. In recent years, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques have been widely available and popular in cognitive and clinical neurosciences for examining the brain's white matter (WM) micro-structures and gray matter (GM) functions, respectively. Given the intrinsic integration of WM/GM and the complementary information embedded in DTI/fMRI data, it is natural and well-justified to combine these two neuroimaging modalities together to investigate brain structure and function and their relationships simultaneously. In the past decade, there have been remarkable achievements of DTI/fMRI fusion methods and applications in neuroimaging and human brain mapping community. This survey paper aims to review recent advancements on methodologies and applications in incorporating multimodal DTI and fMRI data, and offer our perspectives on future research directions. We envision that effective fusion of DTI/fMRI techniques will play increasingly important roles in neuroimaging and brain sciences in the years to come.