Sparse methods on manifolds of images and shapes for significant anatomy detection linked to disease

医学影像在现代医学中发挥着关键作用，是许多诊断和治疗的一部分。虽然成像硬件和采集方法在过去十年中有了巨大的发展，但这与图像处理软件的进步并不匹配。因此，在临床实践中，许多图像处理工作要么根本不进行，要么由于软件不足而手工进行。为了充分发挥这些新的医学成像方法的优势，需要开发新的、更好的图像分析方法。******我目前和计划的研究重点是发展现代医学图像分析方法，用于研究人类因正常衰老或疾病而引起的解剖和生理变异。此类研究涉及提取和解释图像信息以识别和量化变化的计算方法。我们的方法利用人体部位和器官（如脑结构中的脑室或海马体）之间的解剖相似性来定义形状模型。该形状模型以连续的方式定义，并捕获个体之间的全局和局部变化。我们发展的方法统计研究疾病引起的变化解剖形状。这将为更好地了解某些疾病的影响提供一种方法。******本提案介绍了主要医学图像分析方法（分割、形状分析、多维统计）的理论进展，以及通过我们的医学和生物医学合作者为脑成像研究提供实用的现代解决方案。此外，它还提供了在有趣的多学科环境中培养研究生的机会。

Medical imaging plays a key role in modern medicine, being part of many diagnoses and treatments. While imaging hardware and acquisition methods have seen a tremendous development in the last decade, this is not matched by advances in image processing software. Therefore, in clinical practice, much image processing work is either not performed at all, or performed manually due to inadequate software. To realize the full benefit of these new medical imaging methods, new and better image analysis methods need to be developed.******My current and planned research focuses on developing modern medical image analysis methods for studying anatomical and physiological variability in humans due to normal aging or disease. Such studies involve computational methods that extract and interpret image information to identify and quantify change. Our methods make use of anatomical similarity between humans parts and organs (such as ventricles or hippocampus among brain structures) to define a shape model. This shape model is defined in a continuous way and captures both global and local variability between individuals. We develop methods to statistically study disease-induced changes in anatomical shapes. This will provide a way to better understand the influence of certain diseases. ******This proposal introduces both theoretical advances of main medical image analysis methods (segmentation, shape analysis, multidimensional statistics) as well as practical modern solutions for a brain imaging study through our collaborative medical and biomedical collaborators. In addition, it opens the opportunity of training graduate students in an interesting multidisciplinary environment.