MEBRAINS 1.0: A new population-based macaque atlas

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Comparative Anatomy
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Existing macaque brain templates often have limitations such as single-subject reliance, unimodality, or insufficient anatomical detail.
• There is a growing need for comprehensive anatomical macaque brain templates to integrate multiscale, multimodal data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the MEBRAINS template, a novel multi-subject, multimodal macaque brain atlas designed to overcome limitations of existing templates.
• To provide a foundation for integrating diverse neuroimaging data in *Macaca mulatta*.

Main Methods:

• Utilized T1 and T2 MRI images from 10 *Macaca mulatta* subjects, averaged using the multi-brain toolbox for registration and segmentation.
• Generated volumetric T1 and T2 templates, supplemented with white and gray matter surfaces using FreeSurfer.
• Incorporated human-curated segmentations and registered CT scans for validation.

Main Results:

• The MEBRAINS template offers multi-subject, multimodal, volume-and-surface data, including traditional and deep learning-based segmentations.
• Quantitative analysis showed the MEBRAINS template is equal to or better than widely used macaque templates.
• The template was populated with 3D maps of specific cortical regions based on cyto- and receptor architectonics.

Conclusions:

• The MEBRAINS template enhances the integration of multimodal, multi-scale macaque data.
• It provides researchers with a detailed map-like perspective to optimize neuroimaging analysis pipelines.
• The template is integrated into EBRAINS and Scalable Brain Atlas infrastructures, offering accessible spatial registration tools.