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Application of stereological methods to estimate post-mortem brain surface area using 3T MRI
Carolyn Furlong1, Marta García-Fiñana, Michael Puddephat
1Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Centre, University of Liverpool, UK.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
|December 15, 2012
Summary
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at 3 tesla has poor agreement with physical sectioning for estimating brain structures. Higher resolution MRI is needed for accurate stereological measurements of the cerebral cortex.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Stereology
- Human Anatomy
Background:
- Stereology is a powerful tool for quantitative analysis of biological structures.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offers non-invasive visualization of brain anatomy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of 3 tesla (3T) MRI combined with stereology for estimating brain volumes and cortical thickness.
- To compare MRI-derived measurements with gold-standard physical sectioning data.
Main Methods:
- Design-based stereology (Cavalieri and Vertical Sections methods) was applied.
- 3T MRI was used to estimate cortical and subcortical volume, pial surface area, grey-white matter boundary area, and cerebral cortex thickness.
- MRI results were compared with measurements from physical sections of human cadaveric brains.
Main Results:
- Poor agreement was found between 3T MRI and physical sectioning for most parameters.
- Pial surface area was underestimated by 45% with MRI (p<0.05).
- Cerebral cortex thickness was overestimated by 60.9% with MRI (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- The resolution of 3T MRI is insufficient for reliable depiction of cerebral sulci, impacting stereological measurements.
- Higher resolution MRI is required for accurate stereological analysis of cortical surface area and thickness.
