COMPUTATIONAL ANATOMY & VISUALIZATION: Current Research

Why Surface-Based Analyses?
Since the cerebral/cerebellar cortex is topologically equivalent to a 2D sheet, surface representations of the cortex facilitate the visualization and analysis of functional activation data by preserving important geometrical and topological relationships; moreover, surface representations are compact, provide excellent "visibility," and can be parameterized using 2D coordinate systems which respect the topology of the cortical sheet. Various approaches to flat-mapping the cerebral/cerebellar cortex have been described by us and others, and the virtues of each approach have been lauded. Broadly speaking, three factors may contribute to the improved accuracy of surface-based analyses: (i) intrasubject spatial localization, (ii) intersubject registration, and (iii) data analysis.

Why the Cerebellar Cortex?
For several reasons: (i) the topographic organization of motor, sensory and cognitive functions in the human cerebellum is poorly understood ; (ii) high-resolution, high-contrast images of the cerebellum are now obtainable using high-field MRI scanners; (iii) the anatomical organization of the cerebellum high surface-area-to-volume ratio and repetitive folial structure conceals most of the cortical surface. Until now, the thinness of the cerebellar cortex (~1 mm) and sub-millimeter width of folial white-matter cores have constituted major impediments to the extraction and tesselation of the cortical surface. (See work by Schmahmann et al.)