Roebroeck Alard, Haber Suzanne, Borra Elena, Schiavi Simona, Forkel Stephanie J, Rockland Kathleen, Dyrby Tim B, Schilling Kurt
Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester Medical School, Rochester, NY, USA.
Brain Struct Funct. 2025 May 31;230(5):79. doi: 10.1007/s00429-025-02945-1.
Despite the impact of tractography on human brain mapping, direct validation and biological interpretation remain challenging. This short communication summarizes the key points of a debate held at the 2024 Tract-Anat Retreat on whether animal models are useful for studying human neuroanatomy with diffusion MRI tractography. While recognizing limitations, such as anatomical and biological differences between species, hardware and acquisition considerations and direct translation and interpretation, we identified immense value and utility of animal models for tractography including validation with histology, acquiring high-resolution datasets, exploring disease mechanisms, and advancing comparative neuroanatomy. These perspectives highlight the translational potential of preclinical models to inform tractography methodologies and underscore the need for careful species selection, methodological rigor, and ethical oversight in cross-species neuroimaging research.
尽管纤维束成像对人类脑图谱研究有影响，但直接验证和生物学解释仍具有挑战性。本简短通讯总结了在2024年纤维束-解剖学研讨会上举行的一场辩论的要点，该辩论主题是动物模型对于利用扩散磁共振成像纤维束成像研究人类神经解剖学是否有用。在认识到诸如物种间解剖学和生物学差异、硬件和采集方面的考虑以及直接翻译和解释等局限性的同时，我们确定了动物模型在纤维束成像方面的巨大价值和实用性，包括与组织学验证、获取高分辨率数据集、探索疾病机制以及推进比较神经解剖学研究。这些观点凸显了临床前模型为纤维束成像方法提供信息的转化潜力，并强调了在跨物种神经成像研究中进行仔细的物种选择、方法严谨性和伦理监督的必要性。
