Automated Delineation, Parcellation and Analysis of the Cerebellum from MR Images

描述（由申请人提供）：小脑受累与一系列疾病有关。酒精中毒、自闭症谱系障碍、精神分裂症、情绪障碍和原发性头部震颤均有小脑体积减小的报道。作为证明小脑在脑功能中更广泛作用的工作的一个例子，Sullivan和他的同事们已经证明了在患有前上蚓病的个体中，静态直立平衡因过度摇摆而受损，并表明额小脑回路节点的改变可以预测前额叶区域的执行功能障碍。在过去的十年里，有大量的研究使用任务激活的功能磁共振成像和静息状态功能连接磁共振成像来检查功能性大脑网络。在很大程度上，小脑形态测量学研究和脑网络小脑组成部分的研究一直被忽视，主要是因为缺乏支持此类研究的工具。采用可靠和有效的工具来支持此类研究的时机已经成熟。我们认为，小脑分析工具包（CATK）不仅有等待的受众和市场，而且它的可用性将成为将小脑纳入大脑结构和功能研究的催化剂，因此具有重要意义。！ 这个SBIR项目的目标是开发一个集成的小脑分割/封装和分析套件。核心部分将是小脑及其亚区域的MR图像描绘。该套件将包括一套全面的图像和表面分析工具，包括小脑结构的形状分析能力，以及可视化和表面编辑能力。我们将开发一个集成的分析环境，并使用CUDA在gpu上实现高性能工具。CATK将有三个主要组件：1)小脑描绘，2)基于CUDA的表面和图像处理工具箱，以及3)基于CUDA/openGL的渲染/表面编辑工具。该产品将为从现有MR图像数据库以及新数据中提取有价值的信息提供低成本的手段。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cerebellar involvement has been implicated in a large spectrum of disorders. Reduced cerebellar volumes have been reported in alcoholism, autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, mood disorders, and essential head tremors. As an example of the work demonstrating the more widespread role of the cerebellum in brain function, Sullivan and colleagues have demonstrated impairment in static upright balance with excessive sway in individuals with pathology of the anterior superior vermis, and have shown that alterations in nodes of the frontocerebellar circuitry can predict executive dysfunction in prefrontal regions. There has been an explosion of studies in the last decade examining functional brain networks using task-activated fMRI, and resting state functional connectivity MRI . For the most part, cerebellar morphometric studies and studies of the cerebellar components of brain networks have been ignored, largely as a consequence of lack of tools to support such investigations. The time is ripe for reliable and valid tools to support such studies. We believe that a cerebellar analysis toolkit (CATK) not only has a waiting audience and market, but its availability will act as a catalyst for the incorporation of the cerebellum in studies of brain structure and function, and thus will be of great significance. ! The goal of this SBIR project is to develop an integrated cerebellar segmentation / parcellation and analysis suite. The core component will be MR image delineation of the cerebellum and its subregions. The suite will include a comprehensive set of image and surface analysis tools, including the capability for shape analysis of cerebellar structures, and for visualization and surface editing. We will develop an integrated analysis environment with high performance tools implementation on GPUs using CUDA. CATK will have three major components: 1) cerebellar delineation, 2) A CUDA-based surface and image processing toolbox, and 3) A CUDA/openGL based rendering/surface editing tool. The product will provide a low cost means for extracting valuable information from existing MR image databases as well as from new data. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Cerebellar involvement has been implicated in a large spectrum of disorders. Reduced cerebellar volumes have been reported in alcoholism, autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, mood disorders, and essential head tremors. The goal of this SBIR project is to develop an integrated cerebellar segmentation / parcellation and analysis suite. Which will help give further insight into the significance of this structure in a myriad of diseases, helping to deepen our understanding of the cerebellum<s role in normal brain function as well as in pathology.