2010 Summer Project Week Mouse Brain Cortical Thickness Analysis

• 

  Projects List

• 

  Size comparison of mouse and human brains

• 

  Segmentation Step

• 

  Thickness Measurement

• 

  Statistical Analysis

Key Investigators

• UNC: Ipek Oguz, Martin Styner

Objective

Cortical thickness measurement is an important tool in investigating animal models of neurodegenarative diseases. However, the difference between human and rodent models necessitates adaptation of automated image analysis tools to the rodent scale. This project aims to provide tools for mouse and rat brains equivalent to state-of-the-art human brain analysis software.

Approach, Plan

• Segmentation
  • Provides the neo-cortex separation from other brain structures
  • Uses atlas-based segmentation, such that the structural segmentation
  • Source and destination boundaries are manually defined over the atlas by our expert.
• The thickness measurement step:
  • Computes a Laplacian field from the source boundary toward the destination boundary.
  • Using measureThicknessFilter by Marc Niethammer
• Statistical Analysis
  • Use particle correspondence algorithm minimizing entropy between dynamically moving sample points
  • ShapeAnalysis tools by Beatriz Paniagua

Progress

Currently all the codes are written in independently running python scripts. Our goal in this project week is to provide fully running python module in Slicer3, from statistical data generation to its visualization. All the script will produce BatchMake script to work with Condor parallel system.

Delivery Mechanism

This work will be delivered to the NA-MIC Kit as a (please select the appropriate options by noting YES against them below)

1. ITK Module
2. Slicer Module: Thickness measurement filter developed by Marc Niethammer
   1. Built-in
   2. Extension -- python module for whole analysis pipeline
   3. Extension -- loadable
3. Other (Please specify)

References