title: A harmonized segmentation protocol for hippocampal and parahippocampal subregions: Why do we need one and what are the key goals?
abstract: The advent of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has enabled in vivo research in a variety of populations and diseases on the structure and function of hippocampal subfields and subdivisions of the parahippocampal gyrus. Because of the many extant and highly discrepant segmentation protocols, comparing results across studies is difficult. To overcome this barrier, the Hippocampal Subfields Group was formed as an international collaboration with the aim of developing a harmonized protocol for manual segmentation of hippocampal and parahippocampal subregions on high-resolution MRI. In this commentary we discuss the goals for this protocol and the associated key challenges involved in its development. These include differences among existing anatomical reference materials, striking the right balance between reliability of measurements and anatomical validity, and the development of a versatile protocol that can be adopted for the study of populations varying in age and health. The commentary outlines these key challenges, as well as the proposed solution of each, with concrete examples from our working plan. Finally, with two examples, we illustrate how the harmonized protocol, once completed, is expected to impact the field by producing measurements that are quantitatively comparable across labs and by facilitating the synthesis of findings across different studies. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Penn Image Computing and Science Laboratory, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: Laura E M
authors.initials: LEM
authors.lastname: Wisse
authors.affiliation: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, USA.
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authors.lastname: Daugherty
authors.affiliation: Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Rosanna K
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authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: David
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authors.lastname: Berron
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA.|Department of Psychology, San Jose State University, San Jose, USA.
authors.forename: Valerie A
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authors.lastname: Carr
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA.
authors.forename: Craig E L
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authors.affiliation: Cerebral Imaging Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.|Departments of Psychiatry and Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.|Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert S C
authors.initials: RSC
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, INM-1, Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany.|JARA-BRAIN, Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance, Jülich, Germany.|C. and O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Katrin
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authors.lastname: Amunts
authors.affiliation: AA Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
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authors.lastname: Bender
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
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authors.affiliation: LANVIE Laboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marina
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authors.affiliation: Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK.
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authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioural Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Alison
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authors.affiliation: Cerebral Imaging Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.|Departments of Psychiatry and Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
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authors.initials: MM
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authors.affiliation: INSERM, CNRS, UMR-S975, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière (ICM), Paris, France.
authors.forename: Marie
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authors.affiliation: Center for Neuroscience, University of California Davis, Davis, USA.|Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, USA.
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authors.affiliation: INSERM U1077, Université de Caen Normandie, UMR-S1077, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Caen, Caen, France.
authors.forename: Robin
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authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA.
authors.forename: Prabesh
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authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, INM-1, Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: Olga
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authors.affiliation: Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, USA.
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authors.initials: KM
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authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA.
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authors.initials: KF
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authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA.
authors.forename: Xiuwen
authors.initials: X
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authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, USA.
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authors.initials: A
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authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.|The Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
authors.forename: Nicolai
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Malykhin
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, USA.|Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, USA.
authors.forename: Susanne G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA.|Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA.
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authors.affiliation: VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, USA.
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authors.initials: DJ
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authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA.
authors.forename: Mansi B
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authors.affiliation: Penn Image Computing and Science Laboratory, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
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authors.affiliation: McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.|Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
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authors.initials: JC
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authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA.|Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA.
authors.forename: Naftali
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authors.forename: Karen M
authors.initials: KM
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authors.affiliation: McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.|Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
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authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA.|Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea T
authors.initials: AT
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authors.forename: Trevor A
authors.initials: TA
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authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioural Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA.|Department of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Nanthia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suthana
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, USA.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Cerebral Imaging Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.|Departments of Psychiatry and Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Julie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Winterburn
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA.|Department of Neurology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Yassa
authors.affiliation: Penn Image Computing and Science Laboratory, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Yushkevich
authors.affiliation: INSERM U1077, Université de Caen Normandie, UMR-S1077, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Caen, Caen, France.
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mesh_terms: D006624:Hippocampus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D020534:Parahippocampal Gyrus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated
keywords: MRI; harmonization; hippocampus; parahippocampal gyrus; segmentation