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UNC-Emory Infant Atlases for Macaque Brain Image Analysis: Postnatal Brain Development through 12 Months
Yundi Shi1, Francois Budin2, Eva Yapuncich1
1Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Frontiers in Neuroscience
|January 26, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed new computational atlases for rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) brain development. These structural MRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging atlases aid neuroimaging analysis in infant primates.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Primate Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Computational anatomical atlases are vital for neuroimaging analysis, providing age-appropriate reference spaces.
- Selecting the correct atlas is crucial, especially in early brain development due to rapid anatomical changes.
- Existing atlases may not adequately represent the developing non-human primate brain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop novel computational atlases for structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) in infant rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).
- To provide a crucial resource for the analysis of neuroimaging data from early postnatal non-human primate brain development.
- To facilitate accurate and automated analysis of brain structure and connectivity in developing macaques.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal structural MRI and DTI scans were acquired from forty infant rhesus monkeys at ages 2 weeks, 3, 6, and 12 months.
- Unbiased atlas building techniques were employed to create cross-sectional atlases at each developmental stage.
- Probabilistic spatial priors for major tissue classes were trained using expert manual segmentations on each atlas.
Main Results:
- A novel set of cross-sectional computational atlases for structural MRI and DTI was created for infant rhesus monkeys at multiple developmental time points.
- These atlases incorporate probabilistic spatial priors derived from expert segmentations, enhancing tissue classification accuracy.
- The atlases are designed for use with publicly available neuroimaging tools, promoting accessibility.
Conclusions:
- The developed rhesus monkey brain atlases represent a significant advancement for studying early postnatal neurodevelopment in this species.
- These atlases will enable more precise and reliable automated analysis of structural and microstructural brain changes during development.
- Public dissemination of these atlases will foster further research in comparative neurodevelopment and primate brain mapping.
