SIGMA Rat Brain Templates and Atlases News

SIGMA_Wistar_Rat_Brain_TemplatesAndAtlases_Version1.1

David Andre Barriere — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 7:29:46 GMT

Version 1.1 provides small fixes and improvements to some minor errors and small innacuracies in some of the resources. The full set of changes are:
• Fixed a bug in the iterative process of generating the in-vivo tissue probability maps that led to erroneous probability maps. New maps with accurate values are provided;
• Fixed header information compatibility for FSL and SPM for the in-vivo and ex-vivo templates, tissue probability maps and masks;
• Improved the accuracy of the in-vivo template mask to better delineate the brain;
• Improved the accuracy of the registration of the functional atlas to the in-vivo and ex-vivo templates;
• Improved the localization of the mesh file for visualization in relationship to the anatomical and functional atlas.

SIGMA resources - Version 1.0

David Andre Barriere — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 2:07:51 GMT

First release of the SIGMA resources (Wistar rat brain templates and atlases).

SIGMA Rat Brain Space v1.0 released

David Andre Barriere — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 1:03:52 GMT

Rat brain imaging studies offer an access to deep and varied information of the brain physiology in normal and pathological conditions, allowing experimental protocols and investigations that go beyond to what is possible in human studies. Unfortunately, rodent imaging technics still suffer from a lack of dedicated, standardized and comprehensive neuroimaging tools, particularly brain templates and descriptive brain atlases. Such references are critical cornerstones for a powerful analysis, notably for longitudinal studies and group level comparisons. Herein, we present an ex vivo rat whole brain MRI template and its associated Gray Matter (GM), White Matter (WM) and CerebroSpinal Fluid (CSF) probability maps, generated from high spatial resolution T2*-weighted images (90 µm isotropic). In association with this template, we provide both anatomical and functional 3D brain atlases, respectively derived from 1) the merging of the standard Waxholm and Tohoku atlases (246 regions of interest) and 2) the analysis of resting-state functional MRI data acquired from 80 scanning sessions (59 regions of interest). Moreover, our methodology was applied to produce an in vivo T2-weighted template image, warped on the ex vivo template and atlases, dedicated to morphological and functional analyses and its associated GM, WM and CSF probability maps. Finally, we propose a complete set of preclinical MRI reference resources, compatible with the common neuroimaging software, for the investigation of rat brain structures and functions in healthy and pathological conditions.