The researchers used two different algorithms to successfully transform one brain scan into another: A rigid registration procedure was used to position the electrodes, which were recorded using the X-ray technique computer assisted tomography (CT), and a non-rigid method was used on the more detailed brain scans produced by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The blurry images on the left are CT scans. The images on the right are the initial MRI scans. The middle panel shows the improvement in definition achieved by combining the two types of images. (Image courtesy of Dawant Lab / Vanderbilt University Medical Center)
A system that morphs brain images can significantly simplify a neurosurgical technique called deep brain stimulation (DBS) that is gaining popularity in the treatment of movement disorders, including tremor, rigidity, stiffness and slowed movement, caused by a variety of neurological conditions ranging Parkinson’s to dystonia to multiple sclerosis to obsessive-compulsive disease.MORE