Automatic segmentation of human brain sulci

The neocortical surface has a rich and complex structure comprised of folds (gyri) and fissures (sulci). Sulci are important macroscopic landmarks for orientation on the cortex. A precise segmentation and labeling of sulci is helpful in human brain mapping studies relating brain anatomy and function. Due to their structural complexity and inter-subject variability, this is considered as a non-trivial task. An automatic algorithm is proposed to accurately segment neocortical sulci: vertices of a white/gray matter interface mesh are classified under a Bayesian framework as belonging to gyral and sulcal compartments using information about their geodesic depth and local curvature. Then, vertices are collected into sulcal regions by a watershed-like growing method. Experimental results demonstrate that the method is accurate and robust.