A subject-specific reversible folding model reveals geometry-driven white-matter organization
Abstract
Tractography currently relies almost exclusively on diffusion data and seed maps, which alone remain insufficient for anatomically accurate fiber reconstruction. During brain development, white-matter fibers elongate alongside cortical folding, suggesting a close mechanistic link between cortical geometry and fiber organization. To investigate this link, we introduce a subject-specific cortical folding simulation framework that reconstructs an individual's folding trajectory using only a structural T1-weighted image. The quasi-static, constraint-based model reverses folding to generate an unfolded, fetal-like configuration and then refolds to map the resulting volumetric deformation onto fiber organization. Validation with longitudinal fetal MRI shows that simulated folds follow biologically plausible developmental paths. Applied to adult data, deformation of simple radial fibers reproduces diffusion-derived orientation patterns across the white matter and achieves high regional correspondence. The deformation model also generates characteristic short-range U-fibers as well as long-range association and commissural pathways, all without any diffusion input or machine learning. This approach provides a new, anatomically grounded source of subject-specific fiber orientation derived solely from cortical geometry, opening avenues for geometry-informed tractography.
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