Data_Sheet_5_3D Exploration of the Brainstem in 50-Micron Resolution MRI.PDF

The brainstem, a structure of vital importance in mammals, is currently becoming a principal focus in cognitive, affective, and clinical neuroscience. Midbrain, pontine and medullary structures serve as the conduit for signals between the forebrain and spinal cord, are the epicenter of cranial nerve-circuits and systems, and subserve such integrative functions as consciousness, emotional processing, pain, and motivation. In this study, we parcellated the nuclear masses and the principal fiber pathways that were visible in a high-resolution T2-weighted MRI dataset of 50-micron isotropic voxels of a postmortem human brainstem. Based on this analysis, we generated a detailed map of the human brainstem. To assess the validity of our maps, we compared our observations with histological maps of traditional human brainstem atlases. Given the unique capability of MRI-based morphometric analysis in generating and preserving the morphology of 3D objects from individual 2D sections, we reconstructed the motor, sensory and integrative neural systems of the brainstem and rendered them in 3D representations. We anticipate the utilization of these maps by the neuroimaging community for applications in basic neuroscience as well as in neurology, psychiatry, and neurosurgery, due to their versatile computational nature in 2D and 3D representations in a publicly available capacity.

脑干（brainstem）是哺乳动物体内至关重要的结构，目前正逐渐成为认知、情感及临床神经科学领域的核心研究热点。中脑、脑桥与延髓结构既是前脑与脊髓间信号传导的通路，亦是颅神经环路与系统的中枢，并负责执行意识、情感加工、疼痛与动机等整合性功能。本研究针对一具死后捐献的人类脑干的高分辨率T2加权磁共振成像（T2-weighted MRI）数据集开展解剖分区工作，该数据集采用50微米各向同性体素（isotropic voxels）采集，可清晰显示脑干的神经核团与主要纤维通路。基于上述分析，我们构建了一套详尽的人类脑干图谱。为评估本图谱的有效性，我们将观测结果与传统人类脑干图谱的组织学图谱进行了比对。鉴于基于磁共振成像的形态计量分析具备从单张二维切片生成并保留三维物体形态的独特优势，我们重建了脑干的运动、感觉及整合神经系统，并以三维可视化形式呈现。鉴于本图谱在二维与三维可视化形式下均具备通用的计算特性，且可公开获取，我们预期神经影像学领域的研究者可将其应用于基础神经科学，以及神经病学、精神病学与神经外科学等相关领域。