Computational neuroanatomy of baby brains: A review

Gang Li, Li Wang, Pew Thian Yap, Fan Wang, Zhengwang Wu, Yu Meng, Pei Dong, Jaeil Kim, Feng Shi, Islem Rekik, Weili Lin, Dinggang Shen

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    134 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The first postnatal years are an exceptionally dynamic and critical period of structural, functional and connectivity development of the human brain. The increasing availability of non-invasive infant brain MR images provides unprecedented opportunities for accurate and reliable charting of dynamic early brain developmental trajectories in understanding normative and aberrant growth. However, infant brain MR images typically exhibit reduced tissue contrast (especially around 6 months of age), large within-tissue intensity variations, and regionally-heterogeneous, dynamic changes, in comparison with adult brain MR images. Consequently, the existing computational tools developed typically for adult brains are not suitable for infant brain MR image processing. To address these challenges, many infant-tailored computational methods have been proposed for computational neuroanatomy of infant brains. In this review paper, we provide a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art computational methods for infant brain MRI processing and analysis, which have advanced our understanding of early postnatal brain development. We also summarize publically available infant-dedicated resources, including MRI datasets, computational tools, grand challenges, and brain atlases. Finally, we discuss the limitations in current research and suggest potential future research directions.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)906-925
    Number of pages20
    JournalNeuroImage
    Volume185
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2019 Jan 15

    Bibliographical note

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2018 Elsevier Inc.

    Keywords

    • Brain atlas
    • Cortical surface
    • Infant brain
    • Parcellation
    • Registration
    • Segmentation

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Neurology
    • Cognitive Neuroscience

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Computational neuroanatomy of baby brains: A review'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this