title: General multivariate linear modeling of surface shapes using SurfStat.
abstract: Although there are many imaging studies on traditional ROI-based amygdala volumetry, there are very few studies on modeling amygdala shape variations. This paper presents a unified computational and statistical framework for modeling amygdala shape variations in a clinical population. The weighted spherical harmonic representation is used to parameterize, smooth out, and normalize amygdala surfaces. The representation is subsequently used as an input for multivariate linear models accounting for nuisance covariates such as age and brain size difference using the SurfStat package that completely avoids the complexity of specifying design matrices. The methodology has been applied for quantifying abnormal local amygdala shape variations in 22 high functioning autistic subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705, USA. mkchung@wisc.edu
authors.forename: Moo K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Keith J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Worsley
authors.forename: Brendon M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Nacewicz
authors.forename: Kim M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Davidson
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000465:Algorithms; D000679:Amygdala / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000473:pathology; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004058:Diffusion; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D016014:Linear Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012984:Software