XTRACT

XTRACT performs automated tractography to extract standardized white matter tracts in human and macaque brains and to generate white matter atlases and connectivity blueprint atlases using datasets including the Human Connectome Project, the UK Biobank, and ex vivo macaque data.

Key Features:

• Standardized Protocols: Provides a library of tractography protocols that enable consistent extraction of white matter tracts across human and macaque datasets and are resilient to variations in data quality.
• Inter-Subject Variability Capture: Captures inter-subject variability including tract lateralization in humans and similarities related to twinship within the HCP cohort.
• Customizable Tractography Protocols: Allows definition of tractography protocols by specifying sets of masks in standard space such as MNI152.
• Atlas and Connectivity Blueprint Generation: Produces comprehensive white matter atlases and connectivity blueprint atlases derived from Human Connectome Project, UK Biobank, and ex vivo macaque datasets.

Scientific Applications:

• Imaging-Derived Feature Generation: Generates standardized imaging-derived features for large cohort neuroimaging studies.
• Comparative Neuroanatomy Studies: Enables extraction of homologous tracts across species to support comparative analyses between human and macaque brains.

Methodology:

Automated tractography using predefined tractography protocols applied to diffusion datasets, definition of tracts via masks in standard space (e.g., MNI152), and processing of HCP, UK Biobank, and ex vivo macaque data to create white matter and connectivity blueprint atlases.