CAREER: Unfolding the Cortex: Biomechanics-informed Analysis of Cortical Thickness

该奖项全部或部分根据2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）资助。该教师早期职业发展（CAREER）补助金将改变我们对力学在人类大脑的形式和功能中的作用的理解。 我们大脑的外层，即皮层，在其褶皱和褶皱中厚度各不相同。这部分取决于皮质折叠过程中产生的力。 由于折叠对皮质厚度的影响，很难比较不同折叠模式的厚度。例如，在子宫内或不同物种之间的发育差异。 在本项目中，PI将研究一种新的度量标准，该标准消除了折叠对皮质厚度的影响，称为修改的皮质厚度。这项研究将有助于更精确和有意义的比较皮质厚度。这对于识别脑形态的进化、发育和病理变化是有用的。 这种机械信息分析将补充其他关于大脑发育和退行性疾病和障碍的研究。因此，它有可能导致早期诊断和有效治疗的新途径。 此外，PI将开发野外生物力学项目，以培养本科生的科学素养和科学交流。与公众分享有关生物力学的精彩故事并促进学生对生物力学领域的兴趣将是关键成果。为了分析力学环境中的局部皮质厚度，研究人员将开发一种方法来确定修改后的皮质厚度。 图形卷积网络将通过大脑发育的高级有限元模拟进行校准，以根据大脑形态的3D重建预测修改后的皮质厚度。 然后，这种方法将用于研究在哺乳动物进化（超过50个物种）和人类发育（在子宫内到2年）过程中，修改后的厚度是如何变化的。 这项工作需要为每个主题开发软膜和白色表面的3D重建，这将与其他研究人员公开分享，为进一步的形态学，系统发育和发育研究开辟新的途径。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant will transform our understanding of the role of mechanics in the form and function of the human brain. The outer layer of our brains, the cortex, varies in thickness throughout its wrinkles and folds. This is partly determined by the forces generated during the process of cortical folding. Because of this effect of folding on cortical thickness, it is difficult to make comparisons of thickness across different folding patterns. For example, differences during development in the womb or between different species. In this project, the PI will investigate a new metric that removes the effect of folding on cortical thickness, called modified cortical thickness. This research will facilitate more precise and meaningful comparisons of cortical thickness. This is useful for the purposes of identifying evolutionary, developmental, and pathological changes in brain morphology. This mechanics-informed analysis will complement other research on developmental and degenerative diseases and disorders of the brain. Thus, it has the potential to lead to new pathways for early diagnosis and effective treatment. In addition, the PI will develop the Biomechanics in the Wild project to foster science literacy and science communication in undergraduate students. Sharing exciting stories about biomechanics with the public and promoting student interest in the field of biomechanics will be key outcomes.To analyze local cortical thickness in the context of the mechanical environment, the researchers will develop a method to determine the modified cortical thickness. A Graph Convolutional Network will be calibrated by advanced finite element simulations of brain development to predict modified cortical thickness from 3D reconstructions of brain morphology. Then, this method will be used to investigate how modified thickness varies throughout mammalian evolution (in over 50 species) and human development (in utero through 2 years). This work necessitates the development of 3D reconstructions of the pial and white surfaces for each subject, which will be shared publicly with other researchers, opening new avenues for further morphological, phylogenetic, and developmental studies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.