# Unraveling the Superficial White Matter of the Primate Brain: Tracer-Based Histology and dMRI Tractography Validation

> **NIH NIH R01** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2024 · $655,055

## Abstract

Abstract
In this 5 year R01 grant entitled “Unraveling the superficial white matter of the primate brain: Tracer-based
histology and diffusion MRI tractography validation,” we will map superficial white matter (SWM) in the primate
cerebrum using experimental tract tracing methods. We will use this ground truth information to validate high-
resolution in vivo and ultra-high resolution ex vivo diffusion MRI (dMRI) based tractography in the same rhesus
macaque monkeys. The SWM is a continuous layer located between the cerebral cortex of the forebrain and the
underlying white matter association pathways. It comprises axons that interconnect cerebral cortical areas,
including U-shaped fibers (U-fibers) under the cerebral sulci. This axonal layer plays a role in a broad range of
neurological conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease, and
knowledge of the SWM is essential for accurately interpreting dMRI-based tractography. Critically, the
fundamental connectional neuroanatomy of the SWM is largely unknown due to our inability to visualize the
specific origins, terminations, and trajectories of axons in the human brain. Our knowledge of human SWM
connectional neuroanatomy is thus derived almost exclusively from experimental tract tracing results in the non-
human primate (NHP) model, but comprehensive studies of the NHP SWM, from origin through trajectory to
termination, have not been performed. Therefore, knowledge of human SWM connectivity and organization can
be improved by invasive tract tracing studies in the NHP. The goal of the proposed research is to carry out the
first detailed neuroanatomical study of the SWM in the NHP brain, with dMRI validation in the NHP and translation
to human brains. To achieve this goal, we will use a range of histological techniques in conjunction with dMRI
scans obtained with the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Connectom scanner to produce superior quality
dMRI data. We will first datamine the research literature to produce a compendium of existing knowledge of
SWM connectivity in the rhesus monkey. We will also examine the Pandya-Rosene Archive, a vast collection of
neuroanatomy cases that has formed the foundation of data on white matter connections in the NHP. We will
utilize this archive to chart the organization of the SWM in frontal brain areas. We will then use modern
histological methods, including CLARITY-based tissue clearing and neuroanatomical tract tracing, to interrogate
the structure, topography, and connectivity of the SWM, and thereby produce ground truth data. We will perform
in vivo and ex vivo dMRI in the same animals in which we perform neuroanatomical tract tracing experiments,
allowing for direct comparisons between histological and neuroimaging-based connectivity. Moreover, we will
disseminate the dMRI data to the neuroimaging community and host a competition to determine the optimal
tractography method for SWM. Finally, we will translate kno...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10865069
- **Project number:** 5R01NS125307-03
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** NIKOLAOS MAKRIS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $655,055
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-07-01 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10865069

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10865069, Unraveling the Superficial White Matter of the Primate Brain: Tracer-Based Histology and dMRI Tractography Validation (5R01NS125307-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10865069. Licensed CC0.

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