Atlas-based templates vs. subject-specific tractography: resolving the debate

Abstract

The first annual International Society of Tractography (IST) debate in Corsica in 2024 explored key challenges and controversies in tractography. This article examines the debate sparked by the provocative statement, “Tractography cannot give us anything we can’t get from an atlas template.” This debate contrasted two approaches: (1) white matter atlas templates, which provide standardized, population-based brain representations useful for studying brain structure and performing group comparisons, and (2) subject-specific tractography, which reconstructs individual brain connections using diffusion MRI, enabling in vivo “virtual dissection” of white matter pathways. We introduce key concepts, present arguments for and against this statement, and, as advocates of tractography, highlight its value while acknowledging the strengths of both approaches.

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