A new SPM toolbox for combining probabilistic cytoarchitectonic maps and functional imaging data.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Computational Anatomy

Background:

• Correlating functional brain activation foci with structural cytoarchitectonic information presents a significant methodological challenge in neuroscience.
• Accurate integration of microscopic anatomical detail with macroscopic functional imaging data is crucial for understanding cortical organization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel approach for integrating three-dimensional probabilistic cytoarchitectonic maps with functional neuroimaging data.
• To introduce a user-friendly, open-source toolbox for the analysis of the human cerebral cortex, facilitating the correlation of anatomical and functional information.

Main Methods:

• Development of a MATLAB-based toolbox for the SPM2 (Statistical Parametric Mapping) software package.
• Utilizing three-dimensional probabilistic cytoarchitectonic maps derived from post-mortem human brain analysis.
• Implementation of functions for constructing summary maps and calculating correspondence measures between architectonic areas and functional foci.

Main Results:

• The developed toolbox enables the integration of probabilistic cytoarchitectonic maps and functional imaging results within a common reference space.
• The software facilitates the creation of summary maps by assigning voxels to the most probable cortical area.
• Provides quantitative measures to assess the degree of correspondence between architectonic regions and functional activation sites.

Conclusions:

• The new toolbox offers an accessible and effective tool for the integrated analysis of functional and anatomical data in the human brain.
• This open-source resource promotes advancements in correlating brain structure and function for the neuroimaging community.