The Stanford Human Brain Project

The CIBSR currently serves as one of the original funded sites for Phase I of the Human Brain Project, a multi-center, multi-NIH Institute supported research program designed to promote the development of innovative software, methodology and advanced informatics for the next decade of neuroscience research. The Program supports neuroinformatics research and development of cutting-edge computer-based tools and approaches to acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, integrate, synthesize, disseminate and utilize information about the brain and behavior. Key personnel supported by the Human Brain Project include informaticians, computer scientists, and scientists in related fields, as well as neuroscientists and behavioral scientists. NIMH is the lead organization of this initiative, which is sponsored by 16 federal organizations, including 12 Institutes and Centers of the NIH. The research aims of the CIBSR Human Brain Project falls into in three principal areas:

• Ongoing development of advanced software modules for quantitative image analysis.
  
• Determination of the reliability and validity of the methods and algorithms comprising these modules.
  
• Evaluation of the utility of this software in pilot imaging studies of normal pediatric controls and unique pediatric patient groups with homogeneous genetic or neurobiological causes of neurobehavioral dysfunction.
  

Software development

The CIBSR employs a team of programmers with expertise in imaging software development. Recent work on BrainImage includes development and validation of new interactive procedures for MRI quantification: semi-automated corpus callosum segmentation, methods for correction of inhomogeneity, single and multi-spectral fuzzy segmentation algorithms, a skull stripping method for rapid brain isolation in SPGR volumetric scans, and implementation of a Talairach-based stereotaxic parcellation scheme with 3D image datasets. We our currently developing a new multiplatform version of the software - BrainImageJ - which includes additional volume visualization and advanced image analysis tools.