Abstract
The visualization of the progression of brain tissue loss in neurodegenerative diseases like corticobasal syndrome (CBS) can provide not only information about the localization and distribution of the volume loss, but also helps to understand the course and the causes of this neurodegenerative disorder. The visualization of such medical imaging data is often based on 2D sections, because they show both internal and external structures in one image. Spatial information, however, is lost. 3D visualization of imaging data is capable to solve this problem, but it faces the difficulty that more internally located structures may be occluded by structures near the surface. Here, we present an application with two designs for the 3D visualization of the human brain to address these challenges. In the first design, brain anatomy is displayed semi-transparently; it is supplemented by an anatomical section and cortical areas for spatial orientation, and the volumetric data of volume loss. The second design is guided by the principle of importance-driven volume rendering: A direct line-of-sight to the relevant structures in the deeper parts of the brain is provided by cutting out a frustum-like piece of brain tissue. The application was developed to run in both, standard desktop environments and in immersive virtual reality environments with stereoscopic viewing for improving the depth perception. We conclude, that the presented application facilitates the perception of the extent of brain degeneration with respect to its localization and affected regions.
Highlights
The simultaneous 3D visualization of both, the outer surface and internal structures of the human brain in an intuitively graspable manner is still challenging
The following types of field data were superimposed on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of a brain of a patient who suffers from the corticobasal syndrome (CBS): Structural MRI data, time dependent field data that quantify structural changes on the voxel level, and probabilistic maps of anatomical regions
The structural change data were calculated by analyzing series of longitudinally acquired MRI data using deformation based morphometry
Summary
The simultaneous 3D visualization of both, the outer surface and internal structures of the human brain in an intuitively graspable manner is still challenging. Internal brain structures must be distinguishable due to their high functional specificity. The following types of field data were superimposed on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of a brain of a patient who suffers from the corticobasal syndrome (CBS): Structural MRI data, time dependent field data that quantify structural changes on the voxel level, and probabilistic maps of anatomical regions (cf Zilles et al, 2002; Amunts et al, 2007). New insights into brain regions that are affected by certain neurodegenerative diseases are enabled by exploration of occurring structural changes and its temporal progression
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