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Measuring and comparing brain cortical surface area and other areal quantities.
Anderson M Winkler1, Mert R Sabuncu, B T Thomas Yeo
1Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. anderson.winkler@yale.edu
Neuroimage
|March 27, 2012
Summary
This study introduces a novel framework for precisely measuring and comparing cerebral cortical surface area at a fine scale using mass conservative interpolation. This advancement enables detailed analysis of areal measurements across the cortex, moving beyond traditional thickness-focused approaches.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Computational Anatomy
- Brain Mapping
Background:
- Cortical thickness is the primary focus in structural MRI analysis.
- Cortical surface area measurements are typically limited to large regions or indirect comparisons.
- Existing methods lack fine-scale precision for direct cortical surface area analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a framework for direct, fine-scale measurement and comparison of cerebral cortical surface area.
- To enable analysis of any areal measurement distributed across the cortex.
- To introduce a novel approach for quantitative neuroimaging analysis.
Main Methods:
- Construction of a cortical mesh representation.
- Registration to a common coordinate system.
- Pycnophylactic mass conservative interpolation for surface area calculation.
- Power transformation and permutation methods for statistical analysis.
Main Results:
- Demonstration of direct, fine-scale measurement of cortical surface area.
- Establishment of a framework applicable to various areal cortical measurements.
- Introduction of 'facewise analysis' for detailed interpretation.
Conclusions:
- The developed framework allows for precise, direct analysis of cortical surface area.
- This method offers new possibilities for understanding brain structure and function.
- Facewise analysis provides a novel tool for neuroimaging research.
