Development of new population-averaged standard templates for spatial normalization and segmentation of MR images for postnatal piglet brains

Propose

To design a set of brain templates for postnatal piglet brains based on high-resolution T1-weighted imaging for voxel-based morphometric analysis.

Materials and methods

Using a 3.0 T magnetic resonance (MR) scanner, a population-based whole brain template was developed by averaging forty T1 images in the brains of postnatal piglets at 38 days of age. The templates for gray and white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid were designed based on the corresponding probability maps by adapting individual data sets using statistical parametric mapping. Anatomical labeling maps were generated from labeling propagation derived from the established Pig Brain Atlas. Differences in the coordinates from four significant structural landmarks in the template, plus an additional 12 normalized images and anatomical labeling maps were measured to validate the accuracy of the registration of the template.

Results

A whole brain template, a set of tissue-specific probability and anatomical labeling maps were developed. The location deviation of the four significant structural landmarks, including the anterior and posterior regions in the corpus callosum, and the left and right caudate nucleus, was found to be < 0.25 cm, validating the sensitivity and resolution of the template.

Conclusion

A whole brain template map and a set of tissue-specific probability and anatomical labeling maps were developed to analyze the morphometric imaging of the postnatal piglet brain, an animal model of the human infant.