4D Cortical Surface Analysis Tools for Study of Early Brain Development in Typical and High-risk Infants

 描述(申请人提供)：精神分裂症是一种衰弱的精神障碍，起源于早期的神经发育。患有精神分裂症的母亲所生的遗传高危婴儿是改善我们对精神分裂症的发育起源和异常轨迹的理解的理想候选者。北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校收集了一组独特的纵向核磁共振数据集，这些数据包括典型发育中的婴儿和精神分裂症高危婴儿在他们生命的头两年，这使我们能够跟踪典型和高危婴儿在这一关键时期的皮质动态发育轨迹 舞台。基于皮质表面的神经成像数据分析在成人精神分裂症研究中发挥着越来越重要的作用，并揭示了广泛的结构和功能异常。然而，现有的为成人大脑开发的基于皮质表面的分析工具不适合于婴儿研究，因为它们在图像对比度、皮质SIE、形状和折叠度方面存在显著差异。此外，在纵向婴儿研究中，对每个时间点的图像进行独立处理会导致时间不一致和不准确的测量。为了成为儿科神经影像研究的独立研究员，候选人在这份K01申请中建议接受发育神经生物学和神经发育障碍、高级生物统计学和婴儿磁共振成像技术方面的培训。这些培训活动将极大地增强候选人在婴儿神经成像成像方面的背景，并为他成为早期大脑发育研究的领先研究人员的长期目标奠定坚实的基础。在研究计划中，候选人将创建一套独特的针对婴儿的、基于4D皮质表面的神经成像分析工具，使其能够准确地描述典型发育中的婴儿和精神分裂症高危婴儿的早期大脑发育。具体地说，将开发一种一致分割4D婴儿皮质表面的方法(目标1)。然后，将创建一种4D婴儿皮质区域和局部脑回发育的脑大小适应性测量方法(目标2)。之后，将根据皮质的动态发育轨迹(目标3)构建第一个4D婴儿皮质表面图谱。这些方法和图谱随后将被用来描述典型婴儿和高危婴儿的动态皮质发育轨迹(目标4)。这项研究的结果将有助于识别精神分裂症和 设计有针对性的先发制人干预策略。所有创建的工具和地图集将被整合并免费向公众发布，如NITRC(www.nitrc.org)。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental disorder with early neurodevelopmental origins. Genetic high-risk infants born to schizophrenic mothers are ideal candidates for improving our understanding of developmental origins and abnormal trajectories in schizophrenia. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has collected a unique cohort of longitudinal MRI dataset of typically developing infants and also infants at high-risk for schizophrenia in their first two years of life, which allows us to track dynamic developmental trajectories of the cortex in both typical and high-risk infants during this critical stage. Cortical surface-based analysis of neuroimaging data is playing an increasingly critical role in adult schizophrenia studies, and has revealed widespread structural and functional abnormalities. However, existing cortical surface-based analysis tools developed for adult brains are ill-suited for infant studies, due to their dramatic differences in image contrast, cortical sie, shape, and folding degree. Moreover, independent processing of image for each time-point in the longitudinal infant studies leads to temporally inconsistent and inaccurate measurements. To become an independent investigator on pediatric neuroimaging research, the candidate proposes in this K01 application to receive training in developmental neurobiology and neurodevelopmental disorders, advanced biostatistics, and infant MR imaging techniques. These training activities will greatly augment the candidate's background in infant neuroimaging mapping and establish a solid foundation for his long-term goal of being a leading researcher on early brain development study. In the research plan, the candidate will create a unique suite of infant-specific, 4D cortical surface based neuroimaging analysis tools that enable accurate characterization of early brain development in both typically developing infants and infants at high-risk for schizophrenia. Specifically, a method for consistent parcellation of 4D infant corticl surface will be developed (Aim 1). Then, a method for brain-size-adaptive measurement of 4D infant cortical regional and local gyrification development will be created (Aim 2). After that, th first 4D infant cortical surface atlases will be constructed, based on the dynamic developmental trajectories of the cortex (Aim 3). These methods and atlases will be then used to characterize the dynamic cortex developmental trajectories in both typical infants and high-risk infants (Aim 4). Results from this research will help to identify early biomarkers of risk for schizophrenia and to design targeted preemptive intervention strategies. All created tools and atlases will be integrated and released freely to the public, such as NITRC (www.nitrc.org).