Computational biology for visualization of brain structure

Abstract

The complexity and variability of human brain (as well as other species) across subjects is so great that reliance on maps and atlases is essential to effectively manipulate, analyze and interpret brain data. Central to these tasks is the construction of averages, templates and models to describe how the brain and its component parts are organized. Design of appropriate reference systems and visualization strategies for human brain data presents considerable challenges, since these systems must capture how brain structure and function vary in large populations, across age and gender, in different disease states, across imaging modalities and even across species. This paper will describe the application of brain maps to a variety of questions and problems in health and disease. It includes a brief survey of different types of maps, including those that capture dynamic patterns of brain change over time.