Novel Computational Methods

Dr. O'Donnell's group investigates methods for machine learning and statistical analysis based on data from diffusion MRI fiber tractography. Our method for fiber clustering is a machine learning technology that enables discovery of thousands of unique white matter brain connections that are found very robustly in large groups of subjects. We refer to this as data-driven white matter parcellation. This technique enables neuroscience and neuroanatomy research, as well as research in neurosurgical planning. Recent studies include investigations of autism using machine learning classification techniques, novel statistical analyses that leverage the geometry of the fiber tracts, and ongoing work to anatomically annotate and publicly release curated white matter fiber cluster atlases.