CORE--IMAGE ANALYSIS

在这个程序项目中，将产生大量的图像数据，由多个研究者共享。这些图像数据包括多个探针的MRI和PET，其中一些在不同时间点重复，需要有序组织，可靠存档，方便调查人员查阅。此外，图像处理和分析程序需要在不同的项目之间可靠和一致地执行。因此，本核心的目标是提供图像处理和分析资源，以支持本计划项目资助的三个项目的研究人员，以促进他们的科学调查。图像分析核心有三个具体目标。

A large volume of image data, to be shared by multiple investigators, will be generated in this program project. These image data, which include MRI and PET of multiple probes and some of which are repeated at different time points, need to be orderly organized, reliably archived, and conveniently accessible by investigators. Furthermore, image processing and analysis procedures need to be performed reliably and consistently among different projects. The goal of this core is thus to provide image handling and analysis resources to support the investigators of the three projects of this Program Project Grant to facilitate their scientific investigations. The Image Analysis Core has three specific aims. Aim 1. To organize image data orderly to allow convenient investigator access and to control image quality and integrity of images. Aim 2. To streamline and to unify image processing, and to extract biologically relevant information from images. Aim 3. To integrate the extracted information and to perform statistical analysis and evaluation. An Internet-based image database system will be set up and maintained to address Aim 1. Aims 2 and 3 encompass many image and data analysis operations. Images of multiple modalities for each subject will be co-registered, and parametric images (with direct biological/functional meaning) will be generated from PET studies. Afterward, two rriajor analyses will be performed. One is to align images of different subjects to a common reference set, from which both ROI analysis and pixel-based analysis will be performed over the entire 3D volume of the brain. The second major analysis is to map the brain hemispheric cortical surface of different subjects to a reference set. From the derived mapping, cortical measures that include gray matter thickness and PET-derived functional activities can be determined for the brain cortical surface. Statistical analyses will be performed in close interaction with investigators of the three research projects. For image data of animal studies, a separate image database, similar to the one for images of human subjects, will be set up. The procedures of image co-registration and the generation of biological/functional images will parallel those for human studies.