Section: Application Domains

Neuroimaging

neuroimaging, clinical neuroscience, multiple sclerosis, multispectral MRI, brain atlas

One research objective in neuroimaging is the construction of anatomical and functional cerebral maps under normal and pathological conditions.

Many researches are currently performed to find correlations between anatomical structures, essentially sulci and gyri, where neuronal activation takes place, and cerebral functions, as assessed by recordings obtained by the means of various neuroimaging modalities, such as PET (Positron Emission Tomography), fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging), EEG (Electro-EncephaloGraphy) and MEG (Magneto-EncephaloGraphy). Then, a central problem inherent to the formation of such maps is to put together recordings obtained from different modalities and from different subjects. This mapping can be greatly facilitated by the use of MR anatomical brain scans with high spatial resolution that allows a proper visualization of fine anatomical structures (sulci and gyri). Recent improvements in image processing techniques, such as segmentation, registration, delineation of the cortical ribbon, modelling of anatomical structures and multi-modality fusion, make possible this ambitious goal in neuroimaging. This problem is very rich in terms of applications since both clinical and neuroscience applications share similar problems. Since this domain is very generic by nature, our major contributions are directed towards clinical needs even though our work can address some specific aspects related to the neuroscience domain.