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JUNE 7, 2019

Probabilistic cytoarchitectonic maps for 32 new human brain areas released

FEATURED

The JuBrain cytoarchitectonic atlas consists of probabilistic maps of cortical areas and subcortical nuclei, defined by histological analysis of ten human post-mortem brains for each structure. This cytoarchitectonic atlas is a key element of the HBP Human Brain Atlas, representing the most detailed micro-structural parcellation of the cortex currently available. The existing atlas of 74 individual maps has now received an update, and is extended by 32 new cytoarchitectonic maps.

The JuBrain cytoarchitectonic atlas consists of probabilistic maps of cortical areas and subcortical nuclei, defined by histological analysis of ten human post-mortem brains for each structure. The individual maps have been registered to a common space to create microstructural reference data for computing probabilistic cytoarchitectonic maps and comparison with in vivo neuroimaging findings (Amunts and Zilles, 2015). Capturing the intersubject variability, these probabilistic maps describe how likely a particular structure is found at each voxel position of the reference space. The individual maps are furthermore combined into a maximum probability map, which provides a parcellation by assigning each voxel in the brain the most likely histological area according to the probabilistic maps (Eickhoff et al., 2005). This cytoarchitectonic atlas is a key element of the HBP Human Brain Atlas, representing the most detailed micro-structural parcellation of the cortex currently available. 

The existing atlas of 74 individual maps has now received an update, and is extended by 32 new cytoarchitectonic maps (Areas 6d1, 6d2, 6d3, Ia, Id4, Id5, Id6, Id7, OP8, OP9, STS1, STS2, 6mp, 6ma, p24ab, p24c, p32, hIP4, hIP5, hIP6, hIP7, hIP8, hPO1, hOc6, FO4, FO5, FO6, FO7, CA, IF, MF, VTM; more information here. The atlas can be explored interactively in HBP's 3D atlas viewer (http://jubrain.humanbrainproject.eu). Detailed information and download for all probabilistic maps is available through the Knowledge Graph Search (https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/en/explore-the-brain/search/), which is also cross-linked with the atlas viewer. 

The new release now provides all cytoarchitectonic maps in both the MNI Colin 27 single-subject as well as the MNI 152 2009c nonlinear asymmetric space.

REFERENCES:
Amunts K, Zilles K (2015) Architectonic mapping of the human brain beyond Brodmann. Neuron 88(6): 1086-1107 

Eickhoff et al. (2005) A new SPM toolbox for combining probabilistic cytoarchitectonic maps and functional imaging data. NeuroImage, 25(4):1325-1335.
 

Fig.1: JuBrain maximum probability map in the MNI Colin 27 single-subject space.

Fig.2: JuBrain probabilistic cytoarchitectonic map of Area 6mp (SMA, mesial SFG) in MNI 152 2009c nonlinear asymmetric space (left hemisphere).