A three-dimensional multimodality brain map of the nemestrina monkey

A three-dimensional multimodality computerized map of the nemestrina monkey brain was created with serial sectioning and digital imaging techniques. An adult female Macaca nemestrina (pigtail macaque) weighing 7.2 kg was used in constructing this atlas. CT, PET, and MRI were performed on the monkey before the specimen's head was frozen and cryoplaned. Closely spaced (50 microns) images of the specimen blockface were then digitally acquired and modified to produce whole head and brain-only 3D image sets. The resulting data sets were organized into a digital volume and repositioned into a stereotaxic coordinate system defined by Horsley and Clark in 1908 [7]. Orthogonal images were obtained by digitally resampling the volume in order to produce a full set of coronal, sagittal, and horizontal images. Stereotaxic reference grids were applied to each image indicating the A/P, M/L, or Ho position within the digital volume. Specific anatomic structures were outlined from the cryosection data set and 3D surface models reconstructed. Structural labels indicating nuclei, tracts, and other neuroanatomical features were incorporated into coronally sliced cryosection images spaced at 500 microns. The CT, PET, and MRI data sets were reconstructed into a digital volume and coregistered to the cryosection volume. All images constructed from this 3D map are available for public access via the internet using an anonymous file transfer protocol (FTP) and the World Wide Web (http:@www.loni.ucla.edu). The foremost advantage of this digital map is an integrated multimodality three-dimensional representation of the Macaca nemestrina brain, which is not possible with traditional atlases.