Special Issue on Computational Neuroanatomy<br>IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging<br><br>James C. Gee, Paul M. Thompson<br>Guest Editors<br><br>Spurred by powerful imaging methods that assess the human brain in vivo,<br>
computational neuroanatomy has emerged over the last decade as an important<br>field of applied science. This new field is greatly advancing medical<br>research, and basic biological science and clinical practice. Detailed
<br>imaging-assisted studies of human development and disease are being<br>performed. Structural-functional research is similarly supported by<br>underlying automated image registration programs that align subject studies
<br>within a documented structural space. Development of detailed anatomical<br>models, atlases, and templates for surgical planning and teaching is another<br>valuable application. Image segmentation algorithms are also vital to
<br>identify structures in the brain automatically, for subsequent volumetric<br>measurement and shape analysis.<br><br>Quantitative analysis of the brain is especially complex because of the need<br>to measure, compare, and integrate data from the cerebral cortex. Cortical
<br>models and maps, and tools to analyze cortical data, are accelerating our<br>understanding of natural and abnormal variability in brain structure and<br>function as well as in psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. The
<br>cortex plays the key role in consciousness and cognition and changes<br>structurally and functionally in psychiatric and neurodegenerative<br>conditions. The most striking feature of the cerebral cortex is its<br>convoluted shape, which is considered key to human intelligence. The major
<br>sulci and gyri on the surface are largely conserved between individuals,<br>making them useful landmarks for morphometric comparisons. The deep,<br>primary sulcal folds also delimit the boundaries of major functional
<br>regions. Detailed studies of the cortical surface are revealing evolutionary<br>differences between species, relating genotype to phenotype, shedding light<br>on the connection between the paradigms of structure and function, and
<br>aiding drug development.<br><br>A central factor in the success and increasingly widespread application of<br>computational neuroanatomy approaches in medicine has been the development<br>of sophisticated mathematical and algorithmic methods for extracting and
<br>modeling clinically significant and scientifically important information<br>from image data. This Special Issue will highlight new research directions<br>in computational neuroanatomy by collecting selected papers in all relevant
<br>areas including, but not limited to, the following topics:<br><br>· Pattern theory/recognition<br>· Image segmentation/classification, including automated identification<br>of brain structures<br>· Registration, including nonlinear and cross-modality approaches
<br>· Deformable geometry and surface-based anatomical modeling<br>· Shape<br>· Longitudinal analysis, i.e. modeling of dynamic brain changes<br>· Computer-aided diagnosis<br>· Morphometry and structure-function correlations
<br>· Statistical analysis of structure comparing groups or clinical<br>populations<br><br>The IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging seeks high-quality original<br>research papers for this Special Issue. Authors should submit their
<br>manuscripts electronically, by the deadline below, through the IEEE<br>Manuscript Central Office (<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tmi-ieee" target="_blank">
http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tmi-ieee</a>)<br>following the T-MI Instructions for Authors and indicating in the Author<br>Comments to the Editor-in-Chief that the manuscript be considered for the<br>special issue on Computational Neuroanatomy. Authors intending to submit
<br>articles are encouraged to discuss their submissions with the Guest Editors<br>to determine suitability for this Special Issue.<br><br>Schedule: Submission of manuscripts, June 1, 2006; Acceptance/rejection<br>notification, September 1, 2006; Revised manuscripts due, November 1, 2006;
<br>Publication of Special Issue, March 2007<br><br>James C. Gee, PhD<br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Department of Radiology<br>Penn Image Computing and Science Laboratory<br>3600 Market Street, Suite 370<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
<br>+1 215 662 7109<br><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:gee@mail.med.upenn.edu">gee@mail.med.upenn.edu</a><br><br>Paul M. Thompson, PhD<br>UCLA School of Medicine<br>Department of Neurology
<br>Laboratory of Neuro Imaging<br>635 Charles E. Young Drive South, Suite 225E<br>Los Angeles, CA 90095-7332, USA<br>+1 310 206 2101<br><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:thompson@loni.ucla.edu">
thompson@loni.ucla.edu</a><br><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Paul A. Yushkevich, Ph.D.<br>Research Assistant Professor<br>Penn Image Computing and Science Laboratory (PICSL)<br>Department of Radiology, <br>University of Pennsylvania