Novel methods in computational anatomy: Quantifying structure and function via multidimensional analysis of cross sectional and longitudinal MR scans

精神疾病和心血管疾病对健康和生产力造成的社会和个人负担不断增加，令人震惊。心血管疾病仍然是西方世界最大的杀手，精神疾病占整个疾病负担的15%-影响大于所有癌症的总和。 虽然60-74岁的加拿大人中有2%患有阿尔茨海默氏症和相关痴呆症，但85岁以上的加拿大人中有三分之一患有这种疾病。到2011年，每年新发痴呆症病例将增加到111，000例，到2025年，预计将有100多万加拿大人患有阿尔茨海默病和相关痴呆症。帕金森氏病是第二常见的神经退行性疾病，影响着大约10万加拿大人，每年花费加拿大医疗保健系统大约25亿美元，此外还给患者及其家属带来巨大的损失。随着婴儿潮一代的年龄增长，痴呆症病例和心血管疾病的不成比例的数量将在未来几年造成一场“海啸”，威胁我们的医疗系统。

The escalating social and personal burdens of mental illnesses and CVDs on health and productivity are staggering. CVD remains the largest killer in the western world, mental illness accounts for 15% of the entire disease burden- an impact greater than the sum of all cancers. While 2% of Canadians between 60-74 years of age suffer from Alzheimer's and related dementias, one in three Canadians over the age of 85 are afflicted. By 2011, the number of new dementia cases per year will rise to 111,000 and by 2025 over one million Canadians are expected to suffer from Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Parkinson's disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affects approximately 100,000 Canadians, costs the Canadian health care system approximately $2.5B annually, in addition to the tremendous toll on patients and their families. As the baby boomers age, the disproportionate number of dementia cases and CVDs will create a 'tsunami' that will threaten our medical system in the years to come.