title: Development of new population-averaged standard templates for spatial normalization and segmentation of MR images for postnatal piglet brains.
abstract: METHODS
  To design a set of brain templates for postnatal piglet brains based on high-resolution T1-weighted imaging for voxel-based morphometric analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a 3.0 T magnetic resonance (MR) scanner, a population-based whole brain template was developed by averaging forty T1 images in the brains of postnatal piglets at 38 days of age. The templates for gray and white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid were designed based on the corresponding probability maps by adapting individual data sets using statistical parametric mapping. Anatomical labeling maps were generated from labeling propagation derived from the established Pig Brain Atlas. Differences in the coordinates from four significant structural landmarks in the template, plus an additional 12 normalized images and anatomical labeling maps were measured to validate the accuracy of the registration of the template.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A whole brain template, a set of tissue-specific probability and anatomical labeling maps were developed. The location deviation of the four significant structural landmarks, including the anterior and posterior regions in the corpus callosum, and the left and right caudate nucleus, was found to be <0.25 cm, validating the sensitivity and resolution of the template.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A whole brain template map and a set of tissue-specific probability and anatomical labeling maps were developed to analyze the morphometric imaging of the postnatal piglet brain, an animal model of the human infant.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Hexia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Quanzeng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, ZhongShan affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Jianzhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, ZhongShan affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: TaiShan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Jiaxing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, University of California School of Medicine, Davis, CA 95616 USA.
authors.forename: Frederic A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Troy
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Fujian, China; School of Animal & Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia. Electronic address: biwang@csu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001835:Body Weight; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000473:pathology; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology; D016208:Databases, Factual; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D016011:Normal Distribution; D009929:Organ Size; D011336:Probability; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013552:Swine
keywords: MRI brain template; Postnatal piglet; Spatial normalization & segmentation; Validation of the templates