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日益加重，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%，其影响大于所有癌症的总和。60-74岁的加拿大人中有2%患有阿尔茨海默氏症和相关的痴呆症，而85岁以上的加拿大人中有三分之一患有此病。到2011年，每年新的痴呆症病例数将上升到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的痴呆症。帕金森病是第二大最常见的神经退行性疾病，影响了大约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，除此之外，患者和他们的家人也付出了巨大的代价。随着婴儿潮一代年龄的增长，不成比例的痴呆症病例和心血管疾病将造成一场“海啸”，在未来几年威胁到我们的医疗系统。

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.