Pediatric Head Models for Improved Imaging of Neurological Development

描述(申请人提供)：虽然众所周知，大脑从出生到儿童早期经历了快速的发育变化，但人们对大脑大小和组成的变化与正常认知发展之间的关系知之甚少。然而，我们现在知道，几种可能使人虚弱的疾病，包括自闭症谱系障碍、注意力缺陷多动障碍和精神分裂症，都是大脑发育延迟或异常的结果。在儿童中，对正常认知和大脑发育的研究最好使用非侵入性技术，这些技术不会过度限制运动，也不需要电离辐射。在现有的技术中，脑电(EEG)，特别是随着高密度传感器阵列的出现，提供了安全和非侵入性评估认知功能的能力。然而，为了提供认知上重要的大脑区域和网络的功能定位，需要一个准确的头部组织几何和传导性模型，特别是在生命的头几年，当头骨和大脑的组成和大小迅速变化时。这个第一阶段的项目将根据测量的五个年龄组的头骨和大脑的电导率值来创建年龄组的头部模型，以确定头部形状、大小和成分的变化何时会显著影响准确定位癫痫发作活动的能力。通过引入先进的计算资源来创建特定于患者的头部模型，我们将允许优化非侵入性密集阵列EEG的使用，以阐明正常儿童认知基础神经网络的发展轨迹。 公共卫生相关性：该项目中提出的产品创新将创建用于神经成像的年龄组儿科头部模型。通过引入先进的计算资源来创建特定年龄的儿童头部模型，这项技术将为临床医生和研究人员提供一种工具，以最佳地使用非侵入性高密度脑电来定位癫痫活动，并阐明正常儿童认知基础神经网络的发展轨迹。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): While it is well known that the brain undergoes rapid developmental changes from birth to early childhood, remarkably little is understood about the relationship between changes in brain size and composition and normal cognitive development. Yet we now know that several potentially debilitating disorders, among them the Autism Spectral Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Schizophrenia, are a consequence of delays or abnormalities in brain development. In children, the study of normal cognitive and brain development is best accomplished using non-invasive techniques that are not overly restrictive of movement and do not require ionizing radiation. Of available techniques, electroencephalography (EEG), particularly with the advent of high density sensor arrays, provides the ability to assess cognitive function safely and non-invasively. However, to provide functional localization of cognitively important brain regions and networks requires an accurate model of head tissue geometry and conductivity, particularly in the first years of life, when skull and brain change rapidly in composition and size. This Phase I project will create age-group head models based on measured conductivity values of skull and brain for five age groups to determine when changes in head shape, size and composition significantly impact the ability to accurately localize seizure activity. By introducing advanced computational resources for creating patient-specific head models, we will allow to optimize the use of non-invasive dense-array EEG to elucidate the developmental trajectory of neural networks underlying cognition in normal children. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The product innovation proposed in this project will create age-group pediatric head models for neuroimaging . By introducing advanced computational resources for creating age-specific child head models, this technology will provide clinicians and researchers with a tool for optimal use of non-invasive high density EEG in localizing seizure activities and elucidating the developmental trajectory of neural networks underlying cognition in normal children.