<div dir="ltr">Hi Durai,<div><br></div><div>The term "merge" is vague.</div><div><br></div><div>As a nature of deterministic streamline method, it is not possible for two lines to actually merge regardless of true tract configurations.</div>
<div>Lines come from right always remain right side and those come from left remain left side.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, if we have a white matter location with homogeneous fiber orientation (e.g. the posterior limb of the internal capsule is homogeneously blue) and streamlines from different places (e.g. from the motor and sensory cortices) "merge" into such an area, we could say, the trajectory from the motor and sensory cortices "merged" into the internal capsule.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Even in such a case, if you closely look at the tractography results, the one from the motor and the other from the sensory occupy different locations inside the internal capsule. Again, as a nature of the streamline method, these two trajectories are always separated. Then one may say, "no, they are not merged inside the internal capsule".</div>
<div><br></div><div>Past anatomical studies suggest that the axonal tracts from the motor and sensory cortices merge into the internal capsule but within the internal capsule, they occupy different locations. So, we can say the tractography results faithfully reflect that, but DTI data do not have enough information to judge if these two axonal bundles are actually separated inside the internal capsule or they are merged. It's just tractography method always gives the former result.</div>
<div><br></div><div>I hope this helps to interpret your data.</div><div><br></div><div>Susumu</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 8:17 AM, Durai Arasan <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:durai23@gmail.com" target="_blank">durai23@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Hi All,<div><br></div><div>Is it true that the fronto occipital fasciculus and the uncinate <u>merge</u> in the anterior portion of their tracts? I am unable to obtain these tracts in a non-overlapping manner in all subject data I have.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Please refer to the circled merging region in the images attached (courtesy: Katherine Narr, LONI).</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks</div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><div>Durai</div><div>
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