title: Segmentation of brain MRI in young children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article deals with an automatic tissue segmentation of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in young children.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examine the suitability of state-of-the-art methods developed for the adult brain when applied to the segmentation of the brain MRI in young children. We develop a method of creation of a population-specific atlas in young children using a single manual segmentation. The method is based on nonlinear propagation of the segmentation into population and subsequent affine alignment into a reference space and averaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using this approach, we significantly improve the performance of the popular expectation-maximization algorithm on brain MRI in young children. The method can be used for building probabilistic atlases with any number of structures. We compare resulting algorithm with nonrigid registration-based label propagation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Finally, both methods are used to measure the volume of seven brain structures and measure the growth between 1 and 2 years of age.
authors.affiliation: Visual Information Processing Group, Department of Computing, Imperial College, London, UK. maria.murgasova@imperial.ac.uk
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murgasova
authors.forename: Leigh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dyet
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rutherford
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hajnal
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rueckert
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013382:Subtraction Technique