Multidimensional Diffusion MRI Assists Myelin-sensitive Bound Pool Fraction in Differentiating Microstructural Maturity of Primate Brains

Myelin-sensitive bound pool fraction (BPF) enables the tracking process of myelination in primate brains. The 3D BPF maps demonstrated rapid development of myelination from a 2-day-old brain to a 12-month-old brain and a slower increase from 12 months to 30 months. Even though the process of myelination is slow, multidimensional diffusion MRI indices are indeed helpful in significantly differentiating the microstructural maturity of primate brains. Our findings suggest that both indices, isotropic kurtosis (MKI, associated with cell density variance) and microscopic anisotropy (MKA, correlated with cell eccentricity) are significant imaging markers for microstructural differentiation in the development of primate brains.