High-resolution intersubject averaging and a coordinate system for the cortical surface.
The neurons of the human cerebral cortex are arranged in a highly folded sheet, with the majority of the cortical surface area buried in folds. Cortical maps are typically arranged with a topography oriented parallel to the cortical surface. Despite this unambiguous sheetlike geometry, the most commonly used coordinate systems for localizing cortical features are based on 3-D stereotaxic coordinates rather than on position relative to the 2-D cortical sheet. In order to address the need for a more natural surface-based coordinate system for the cortex, we have developed a means for generating an average folding pattern across a large number of individual subjects as a function on the unit sphere and of nonrigidly aligning each individual with the average. This establishes a spherical surface-based coordinate system that is adapted to the folding pattern of each individual subject, allowing for much higher localization accuracy of structural and functional features of the human brain.
Fischl
B
B
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown 02129, USA.
Sereno
M I
MI
Tootell
R B
RB
Dale
A M
AM
D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D008959:Models, Neurological