Probabilistic Brain Atlases of Normal and Diseased Populations

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Author: Toga AW, Thompson PM, Narr KL & Sowell ER

Abstract:
Morphometric variability of the human brain poses significant challenges for the creation of population-based atlases. The ability to statistically and visually compare and contrast brain image data from multiple individuals is essential to understand normal variability within a particular population as well as differentiate normal from diseased populations. This chapter introduces the application of probabilistic atlases to describe specific subpopulations, measures their variability and characterizes the structural differences between them. Utilizing data from structural MRI, we have built atlases with defined coordinate systems creating a framework to map data from functional, histological and other studies of the same population. These structural atlases provide an indexed and robust framework for the mapping of functions and other attributes. This paper describes the basic approach and a brief description of the underlying mathematical constructs that enable the calculation of probabilistic atlases and examples of their results from several different normal and diseased populations.