Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026
Three-Dimensional Shape Modeling and Analysis of Brain Structures
Published on: November 14, 2019
Three-dimensional surface deformation-based shape analysis of hippocampus and caudate nucleus in children with fetal
Jesuchristopher Joseph1, Christopher Warton, Sandra W Jacobson
1MRC/UCT Medical Imaging Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Insights
Surface analysis reveals significant shape differences in the brains of children exposed to alcohol, particularly in the hippocampus and caudate nucleus. These findings highlight the sensitivity of 3D shape measures to fetal alcohol exposure.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are associated with brain abnormalities.
- Volumetric measures alone may not fully capture the neuroanatomical impact of prenatal alcohol exposure.
- Understanding localized shape variations is crucial for characterizing FASD-related brain changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate local shape variations in the hippocampi and caudate nuclei of children with FASD using surface deformation analysis.
- To compare shape morphology between alcohol-exposed children and controls.
- To determine if shape analysis provides additional insights beyond volumetric measurements in FASD.
Main Methods:
- Acquisition of high-resolution structural MRI scans from 31 children (12 with FASD, 19 controls).
- Manual segmentation of hippocampi and caudate nuclei, followed by surface mesh reconstruction.
- Application of an iterative closest point algorithm and point distribution model for shape quantification and analysis using the localized Hotelling T(2) method.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in hippocampal or caudate nucleus volumes between groups.
- Significant shape deformations identified in the hippocampus (head and tail) and caudate nucleus (tail and head) of alcohol-exposed children.
- Correlation found between the degree of shape compression and the level of prenatal alcohol exposure.
Conclusions:
- Three-dimensional surface shape analysis is a sensitive tool for detecting FASD-related brain alterations.
- Shape analysis offers complementary information to volumetric measures in understanding the neurobiological effects of fetal alcohol exposure.
- Localized morphological changes in the hippocampus and caudate nucleus are key indicators of prenatal alcohol's impact.
Abstract:
Surface deformation-based analysis was used to assess local shape variations in the hippocampi and caudate nuclei of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. High-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging images were acquired for 31 children (19 controls and 12 children diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome/partial FAS). Hippocampi and caudate nuclei were manually segmented, and surface meshes were reconstructed. An iterative closest point algorithm was used to register the template of one control subject to all other shapes in order to capture the true geometry of the shape with a fixed number of landmark points. A point distribution model was used to quantify the shape variations in terms of a change in co-ordinate positions. Using the localized Hotelling T(2) method, regions of significant shape variations between the control and exposed subjects were identified and mapped onto the mean shapes. Binary masks of hippocampi and caudate nuclei were generated from the segmented volumes of each brain. These were used to compute the volumes and for further statistical analysis. The Mann-Whitney test was performed to predict volume differences between the groups. Although the exposed and control subjects did not differ significantly in their volumes, the shape analysis showed the hippocampus to be more deformed at the head and tail regions in the alcohol-exposed children. Between-group differences in caudate nucleus morphology were dispersed across the tail and head regions. Correlation analysis showed associations between the degree of compression and the level of alcohol exposure. These findings demonstrate that shape analysis using three-dimensional surface measures is sensitive to fetal alcohol exposure and provides additional information than volumetric measures alone.
