KEYWORDS: Shape analysis, 3D modeling, Brain, Imaging informatics, Frequency modulation, 3D scanning, 3D image processing, Feature extraction, Optical spheres
Advancements in 3D scanning and volumetric imaging methods have motivated researchers to
tackle new challenges related to storing, retrieving and comparing 3D models, especially in medical
domain. Comparing natural rigid shapes and detecting subtle changes in 3D models of brain structures is
of great importance. Precision in capturing surface details and insensitivity to shape orientation are highly
desirable properties of good shape descriptors. In this paper, we propose a new method, Spherical
Harmonics Distance (SHD), which leverages the power of spherical harmonics to provide more accurate
representation of surface details. At the same time, the proposed method incorporates the features of a
shape distribution method (D2) and inherits its insensitivity to shape orientation. Comparing SHD to a
spherical harmonics based method (SPHARM) shows that the performance of the proposed method is less
sensitive to rotation. Also, comparing SHD to D2 shows that the proposed method is more accurate in
detecting subtle changes. The performance of the proposed method is verified by calculating the Fisher
measure (FM) of extracted feature vectors. The FM of the vectors generated by SHD on average shows 27
times higher values than that of D2. Our preliminary results show that SHD successfully combines
desired features from two different methods and paves the way towards better detection of subtle
dissimilarities among natural rigid shapes (e.g. structures of interest in human brain). Detecting these
subtle changes can be instrumental in more accurate diagnosis, prognosis and treatment planning.
Finding a reliable technique to determine clamping load in bolted joint has been a challenging problem for
several years. A new technique that was recently introduced, addresses this problem by deploying the Digital Speckle
Pattern Interferometry (DSPI) technique to measure the deformation of the surface being clamped and correlate it to the
clamping load. The optical part of the system has been developed using the Spatial Phase Shifting technique to determine
the deformation caused by the applied torque. The images produced by this technique are of low signal-to-noise ratio and
require filtering in order to achieve accurate deformation calculation. However, image filtering requires significant
processing time, particularly in video streams, which can cause delays in the system and therefore undesirable results. In
this paper we propose a method to automate the process of calculating the deformation in a suitable time frame. This
method uses a new filtering technique to reduce the computation overhead of the controlling software and therefore
increase the overall speed of the system by up to seven times. Achieving a practical processing time in the software will
result in more robust and reliable control over the fastener and therefore higher accuracy of clamping load. The methods
used to design this system ultimately can automate the entire process of clamping and provide a reliable closed-loop
clamping load controller for bolted joint.
Through cognitive tasks certain brain areas are activated and also receive increased blood to them. This is modeled
through a state system consisting of two separate parts one that deals with the neural node stimulation and the other
blood response during that stimulation. The rationale behind using this state system is to validate existing analysis
methods such as DCM to see what levels of noise they can handle. Using the forward Euler's method this system
was approximated in a series of difference equations. What was obtained was the hemodynamic response for each
brain area and this was used to test an analysis tool to estimate functional connectivity between each brain area with
a given amount of noise. The importance of modeling this system is to not only have a model for neural response
but also to compare to actual data obtained through functional imaging scans.
Emotional tasks may result in a strong blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in the amygdala in 5-
HTTLRP short-allele. Reduced anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)-amygdala connectivity in short-allele
provides a potential mechanistic account for the observed increase in amygdala activity. In our study, fearful
and threatening facial expressions were presented to two groups of 12 subjects with long- and short-allele
carriers. The BOLD signals of the left amygdala of each group were averaged to increase the signal-to-noise
ratio. A Bayesian approach was used to estimate the model parameters to elucidate the underlying
hemodynamic mechanism. Our results showed a positive BOLD signal in the left amygdala for short-allele
individuals, and a negative BOLD signal in the same region for long-allele individuals. This is due to the fact
that short-allele is associated with lower availability of serotonin transporter (5-HTT) and this leads to an
increase of serotonin (5-HT) concentration in the cACC-amygdala synapse.
KEYWORDS: Amygdala, Functional magnetic resonance imaging, Sensors, Signal processing, Hemodynamics, Neurotransmitters, Solids, Brain, Signal to noise ratio, Data acquisition
A negative blood oxygen level - dependent (BOLD) has been associated with a high concentration of GABA using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and fMRI. Subjects with long-allele carriers have seen with high concentration of serotonin in Rostral Subgenual portion of the anterior cingulate cortex (rACC). In this paper, we investigate the effect of serotonin concentration on hemodynamic responses. Our results show a negative BOLD signal in rACC in the subjects with long-allele carriers. In contrast, the subjects with short-allele carriers showed positive BOLD signals in rACC. These results suggest that the serotonin transporter gene impacts the neuronal activity and eventually the BOLD signal similar to GABA.
KEYWORDS: Bone, Digital image correlation, 3D metrology, Cameras, Speckle pattern, Calibration, Imaging systems, Interferometry, In vivo imaging, Biomedical engineering
In this study a whole field, non-contact optical method, Stereo Digital Image Correlation (SDIC), was used to
determine the strain distribution and mechanical properties of fresh bone in Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS)
solution. Knowing the whole-surface strain distribution of bone is useful for understanding the effects of normal
physiological loading, disease, drugs and aging. In addition, knowing the mechanical properties of bone will aid in
the design of new biomaterials. Although there currently are methods for measuring the mechanical properties of
bone, these methods have some limitations. Many miss areas of strain concentration, especially because of the
inhomogeneous nature of bone. SDIC overcomes these limitations by being able to precisely measure whole-surface
3D contour and strain of samples in solution over a wide range of deformations. In this study, SDIC was used to
measure the axial strain of fresh chicken tibia. A setup which has the capability to apply force axially was designed.
This paper describes the methodology of SDIC for measuring fresh bone in a PBS solution. The effect of drying
time on strain distribution was investigated. The usefulness of the SDIC system is demonstrated by examples of
deformation and strain measurements for different chicken tibia in PBS solution.
This paper describes Data Modeling for unstructured data of Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). Data Modeling is an
essential first step for data preparation in any data management and data mining procedure. Conventional Entity-
Relational (E-R) data modeling is lossy, irreproducible, and time-consuming especially when dealing with unstructured
image data associated with complex systems like the human brain. We propose a methodological framework for more
objective E-R data modeling with unlimited query support by eliminating the structured content-dependent metadata
associated with the unstructured data. The proposed method is applied to DTI data and a minimum system is
implemented accordingly. Eventually supported with navigation, data fusion, and feature extraction modules, the
proposed system provides a content-based support environment (C-BASE). Such an environment facilitates an unlimited
query support with a reproducible and efficient database schema. Switching between different modalities of data, while
confining the feature extractors within the object(s) of interest, we supply anatomically specific query results. The price
of such a scheme is relatively large storage and in some cases high computational cost. The data modeling and its
mathematical framework, behind the scene of query executions and the user interface of the system are presented in this
paper.
KEYWORDS: Signal to noise ratio, Magnetic resonance imaging, Brain, Optical spheres, Data modeling, 3D modeling, Network on a chip, Visual process modeling, Visualization, Image analysis
When estimating partial volume effects in the presence of noise, using neighboring information improves the estimation. The optimal linear transformation (OLT) is an unbiased minimum variance estimator. However, it does not use neighboring information and thus is sensitive to noise. We employ polynomial and B-spline continuous representations of the data to mathematically incorporate the neighboring information into the OLT. To evaluate the method, we use synthetic and actual images generated by simulation and acquired from phantoms and the human brain. Standard deviations of new estimators are up to 60% less than that of the OLT when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is 25. As the SNR decreases, the proposed method demonstrates more improvements. Overall, B-spline estimators provide larger estimations of the standard deviation compared to polynomials. However, B-spline estimators outperform polynomials, providing an arbitrary degree of continuity. B-spline estimators are up to 10 times faster than polynomials and about 10 times slower than the OLT.
KEYWORDS: Electrodes, Magnetic resonance imaging, Magnetoencephalography, 3D modeling, Brain, Epilepsy, Computed tomography, 3D image processing, Neuroimaging, Data modeling
Localization of epileptogenic zones in extratemporal epilepsy is a challenging problem. We speculate that using all modalities of data in an optimal way can facilitate the localization of these zones. In this paper, we propose the following steps to transfer all modalities of data in a single reference coordinate system: 1) Segmentation of subdural and depth electrodes, and cortical surface. 2) Building 3D models of the segmented objects. 3) Registration of preoperative MRI and postoperative CT, and magnetoencephalography (MEG). The above steps result in fusion of all modalities of data, objects of interests (electrodes and cortical surface), MEG analysis results and brain mapping findings. This approach offers a means by which an accurate appreciation of the zone of epileptogenicity may be established through optimal visualization and further quantitative analyses of the fused data. It also provides a ground for validation of less expensive and noninvasive procedures, e.g., scalp EEG, MEG.
Multimedia annotation is domain specific and is assigned with the help of a domain expert to semantically enrich the data. These annotations are used for not only retrieval tasks but also to answer domain specific complex queries. To accomplish this, we propose to use MPEG-7 to annotate medical images and capture semantic information. In particular, we discuss the MPEG-7 based annotations for images of a human brain. Using MPEG-7, human brain images can be represented in an XML format. This MPEG-7 based XML file can be used to store the semantic medical information along with the low level features of the image. We also present the database design to store and query the patient images for image-guided neurosurgery.
This paper presents a generic and unified method to identify a set of anatomical landmarks of interest within the medical image domains. Landmark identification is important as it provides us with: 1) initial information for registration, 2) navigation and retrieval guidance through the image data, 3) initial models for segmentation, and 4) valuable (though rough) information about the organs/structures of interest. The proposed method initially uses a supervised learning procedure and then improves itself based on the Bayes’ theory. The procedure at the first step requires an expert to define a rough roadmap passing through a set of high-contrast landmarks (milestones), and eventually reaching at the structure of interest. The expert is asked to mark the milestones as desired points and a few points around them as undesired points, respectively. Then we estimate Gaussian models for the marked points by which the optimal search area for each desired landmark is determined. The search areas estimated at this step are considered as the segments of the statistical roadmap. An additional set of statistical models along with the above ones are used to form a set of rules to evaluate the points being found during the search procedure. The points that satisfy the rules will be recognized as the landmarks of interest. As the above method is being applied on a set of new patients/cases, a set of valid landmarks of interests becomes available. This new piece of information is then being used to modify the current statistical roadmap based on the Bayes' theory. We have applied the proposed method on T1-weighted brain MRI of 10 epileptic patients to find the landmarks of the hippocampus. In our experiment, six patients formed the training set, and we observed one-step iteration of the Bayesian modification. The method made no false alarms. The overall success rate (average of sensitivity and specificity) of the algorithm was 83.3% with an accuracy of 99.2%. In localizing the hippocampus, the proposed method (with almost perfect results) was 600 times faster than the mutual information registration (with poor and partly wrong results).
Fuzzy C-means (FCM), in spite of its potent advantages in exploratory analyze of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), suffers from limitations such as a priori determination of number of clusters, unknown statistical significance for the results, and instability of the results when it is applied on raw fMRI time series. Choosing different number of clusters, or thresholding the membership degree at different levels, lead to considerably different activation maps. However, research work for finding a standard index to determine the number of clusters has not yet succeeded. Using randomization, we developed a method to control false positive rate in FCM, which gives a meaningful statistical significance to the results. Making use of this novel method and an ROC-based cluster validity measure, we determined the optimal number of clusters. In this study, we applied the FCM on a feature space that takes the variability of hemodynamic response function into account (HRF-based feature space). The proposed method found the accurate number of clusters in simulated fMRI data. In addition, the proposed method generated excellent results for experimental fMRI data and showed a good reproducibility for determining the number of clusters.
KEYWORDS: Image segmentation, Databases, 3D modeling, Brain, Data modeling, Feature extraction, Epilepsy, Medical imaging, Magnetic resonance imaging, Visualization
This paper presents the development of a human brain multi-modality database for surgical candidacy determination in temporal lobe epilepsy. The focus of the paper is on content-based image management, navigation and retrieval. Several medical image-processing methods including our newly developed segmentation method are utilized for information extraction/correlation and indexing. The input data includes T1-, T2-Weighted and FLAIR MRI and ictal/interictal SPECT modalities with associated clinical data and EEG data analysis. The database can answer queries regarding issues such as the correlation between the attribute X of the entity Y and the outcome of a temporal lobe epilepsy surgery. The entity Y can be a brain anatomical structure such as the hippocampus. The attribute X can be either a functionality feature of the anatomical structure Y, calculated with SPECT modalities, such as signal average, or a volumetric/morphological feature of the entity Y such as volume or average curvature. The outcome of the surgery can be any surgery assessment such as non-verbal Wechsler memory quotient. A determination is made regarding surgical candidacy by analysis of both textual and image data. The current database system suggests a surgical determination for the cases with relatively small hippocampus and high signal intensity average on FLAIR images within the hippocampus. This indication matches the neurosurgeons expectations/observations. Moreover, as the database gets more populated with patient profiles and individual surgical outcomes, using data mining methods one may discover partially invisible correlations between the contents of different modalities of data and the outcome of the surgery.
This paper presents our recent study to evaluate how effectively the image texture information within the hippocampus structure can help the physicians to determine the candidates for epilepsy surgery. First we segment the hippocampus from T1-weighted images using our newly developed knowledge-based segmentation method. To extract the texture features we use multiwavelet, wavelet, and wavelet packet transforms. We calculate the energy and entropy features on each sub-band obtained by the wavelet decomposition. These texture features can be used by themselves or along with other features such as shape and average intensity to classify the hippocampi. The features are calculated on the T1-weighted and FLAIR MR images. Using these features, a clustering algorithm is applied to classify each hippocampus. To find the optimal basis, we use several different bases for wavelet and multiwavelet transforms, and compare the final classification performances, which is evaluated by correct classification rate (CCR). We use MRI of 14 epileptic patients along with their EEG results in our study. We use the pre-operative MR images of the patients who have already been determined as candidates for an epilepsy surgery using the gold standard (more costly and painful) methods of EEG phase II study. Experimental results show that the texture features may predict the candidacy for epilepsy surgery. If successful in large population studies, the proposed non-invasive method can replace invasive and costly EEG studies.
This paper presents the development of a human brain multimedia database for surgical candidacy determination in temporal lobe epilepsy. The focus of the paper is on content-based image management, navigation and retrieval. Several medical image-processing methods including our newly developed segmentation method are utilized for information extraction/correlation and indexing. The input data includes T1-, T2-Weighted MRI and FLAIR MRI and ictal and interictal SPECT modalities with associated clinical data and EEG data analysis. The database can answer queries regarding issues such as the correlation between the attribute X of the entity Y and the outcome of a temporal lobe epilepsy surgery. The entity Y can be a brain anatomical structure such as the hippocampus. The attribute X can be either a functionality feature of the anatomical structure Y, calculated with SPECT modalities, such as signal average, or a volumetric/morphological feature of the entity Y such as volume or average curvature. The outcome of the surgery can be any surgery assessment such as memory quotient. A determination is made regarding surgical candidacy by analysis of both textual and image data. The current database system suggests a surgical determination for the cases with relatively small hippocampus and high signal intensity average on FLAIR images within the hippocampus. This indication pretty much fits with the surgeons’ expectations/observations. Moreover, as the database gets more populated with patient profiles and individual surgical outcomes, using data mining methods one may discover partially invisible correlations between the contents of different modalities of data and the outcome of the surgery.
KEYWORDS: Magnetic resonance imaging, 3D modeling, Visualization, Optical spheres, Brain, 3D image processing, Convolution, Neuroimaging, Medical imaging, 3D scanning
This paper presents a new method for partial volume estimation using standard eigenimage method and B-splines. The proposed method is applied on the multi-parameter volumetric images such as MRI. The proposed approach uses the B-spline bases (kernels) to interpolate a continuous 2D surface or 3D density function for a sampled image dataset. It uses the Fourier domain to calculate the interpolation coefficients for each data point. Then, the above interpolation is incorporated into the standard eigenimage method. This incorporation provides a particular mask depending on the B-spline basis used. To estimate the partial volumes, this mask is convolved with the interpolation coefficients and then the eigenimage transformation is applied on the convolution result. To evaluate the method, images scanned from a 3D simulation model are used. The simulation provides images similar to CSF, white matter, and gray matter of the human brain in T1-, T2-, and PD-weighted MRI. The performance of the new method is also compared to that of the polynomial estimators.1 The results show that the new estimators have standard deviations less than that of the eigenimage method (up to 25%) and larger than those of the polynomial estimators (up to 45%). The new estimators have superior capabilities compared to that of the polynomial ones in that they provide an arbitrary degree of continuity at the boundaries of pixels/voxels. As a result, employing the new method, a continuous, smooth, and very accurate contour/surface of the desired object can be generated. The new B-spline estimators are faster than the polynomial estimators but they are slower than the standard eigenimage method.
KEYWORDS: Magnetic resonance imaging, Brain, Statistical analysis, Optical spheres, 3D modeling, Medical imaging, Visualization, 3D image processing, Error analysis, Neuroimaging
This paper presents a sub-voxel analysis method for multi- parameter volumetric images such as MRI to provide partial volume estimation. The proposed method finds a continuous function for a neighboring structure of each voxel. The estimation function and neighboring structure are chosen from the quadratic/cubic polynomials and a set of 2D/3D symmetric neighborhood architectures, respectively. Then, a new form of the eigenimage method, based on Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization, is derived for each choice of estimation function and neighboring structure. Finally, the above estimators are applied to a simulation model consisting of materials similar to CSF, WM, and GM of the human brain in T1- , T2-, and PD-weighted MRI. In the presence of noise, the examined continuous estimators show a smaller standard deviation (up to 40%) than the standard eigenimage method. Also the chosen estimators have analytical solution for their Gram-Schmidt filters, so their execution times are comparable with that of the standard eigenimage method. In addition, the proposed approach can determine the 3D distribution of each material and extract the connecting surfaces of the materials within each voxel.
Hippocampus is an important structure of the human brain limbic system. The variations in the volume and architecture of this structure have been related to certain neurological diseases such as schizophrenia and epilepsy. This paper presents a two-stage method for localizing hippocampus in human brain MRI automatically. The first stage utilizes image processing techniques such as nonlinear filtering and histogram analysis to extract information from MRI. This stage generates binary images, locates lateral and third ventricles, and the inferior limit of Sylvian Fissure. The second stage uses a shell of expert system named VP-EXPERT to analyze the information extracted in the first stage. This stage utilizes absolute and relative spatial rules and spatial symmetry rules to locate the hippocampus. The system has been tested using MRI studies of six epilepsy patients. MRI data consisted of a total of 128 images. The system correctly identified all of the slices without hippocampus, and correctly localized hippocampus is about n 78% of the slices with hippocampus.
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