Brain Image Analysis Tools for Quantitative Longitudinal Assessment of MS

用于 MS 定量纵向评估的脑图像分析工具

• 批准号: 8288854
• 负责人: Dzung L Pham
• 金额: $ 33.35万
• 依托单位: HENRY M. JACKSON FDN FOR THE ADV MIL/MED
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-07-01 至 2015-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8288854
• 关键词: Address; Affect; Algorithms; Anatomic Models; Anatomy; Atrophic; Biometry; Blindness; Brain; Brain imaging; Central Nervous System Diseases; Clinical; Clinical Trials; Communities; Computer software; Data; Data Set; Development; Diagnosis; Diffusion; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Disease; Disease Progression; Dizziness; Early Diagnosis; Engineering; Explosion; Fatigue; Frequencies; Functional disorder; Human; Image; Image Analysis; Impaired cognition; Individual; Inflammation; Lead; Lesion; Limb structure; Location; Longitudinal Studies; Magnetic Resonance; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Measurement; Measures; Medical Imaging; Methods; Monitor; Multiple Sclerosis; Multiple Sclerosis Lesions; Neurologist; Neurology; Neurosciences; Onset of illness; Outcome; Pathology; Patients; Performance; Pharmacotherapy; Physicians; Physiologic pulse; Population; Research; Research Personnel; Scanning; Scientist; Sensitivity and Specificity; Series; Simulate; Software Engineering; Software Tools; Source Code; Specificity; Structure; Symptoms; System; Technology; Time; United States; Validation; base; brain tissue; brain volume; cerebral atrophy; design; disability; experience; gray matter; improved; in vivo; longitudinal analysis; longitudinal design; nervous system disorder; novel; open source; patient population; public health relevance; reconstruction; tool; white matter

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system characterized by inflammation and neuroaxonal degeneration in both grey and white matter structures. MS affects over 2.5 million people worldwide and over 250,000 people in the United States. Those afflicted may experience a wide range of debilitating symptoms including cognitive impairments, partial or complete vision loss, weakness in limbs, dizziness, and fatigue. These symptoms often occur sporadically at the onset of the disease but can worsen over time with respect to both frequency and intensity. In vivo MR acquisitions have shown that whole brain and cortical atrophy, an increased presence of white matter lesions, and a reduction in white matter connectivity occur in MS patients. Quantitative characterization of these brain changes, however, remains a challenge because of the lack of accurate and reliable image analysis tools that effectively model the anatomical changes that occur in MS. To address these issues, we propose to develop, validate, and apply software tools for the longitudinal analysis of MR brain images acquired from MS patients. We will leverage the experience of our research team in whole brain and lesion segmentation, reconstruction of the cerbral cortex, segmentation of white matter tracts, and software engineering to create a suite of tools that will benefit both MS researchers, clinicians, and ultimately the MS patient population. Over the duration of this R01 project, we will accomplish the following specific aims: 1) develop image analysis tools specifically designed for the quantitative longitudinal analysis of brain images with MS; 2) provide tools and data for validating single time point and longitudinal MS image analysis algorithms; 3) apply the developed tools to an ongoing MS longitudinal study that will reveal associations between brain volumes, lesion volume and location, cortical atrophy, and clinical outcomes on both a cross-sectional and longitudinal scale. The proposed tools will fill critical gaps in MS brain image analysis technology by allowing accurate and stable measurements of lesion volume, brain tissue volumes, cortical geometry, and white matter connectivity. This project will significantly impact the neurology, neuroscience, and image analysis communities. The released tools will enable a better understanding of the anatomical changes that occur during the progression of MS, potentially leading to early detection of functionally specific systems of disability. Furthermore, not only will clinical trials for MS drug therapies be greatly facilitated, but the developed tools may also be used to identify subsets of patients suitable for specific drug therapies. The released data and validation tools will also allow for a comparison of existing and newly developed methods, not only in MS patients, but also in healthy populations. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Multiple Sclerosis is a debilitating neurological disease that affects over 250,000 people in the United States alone. The development of robust and accurate algorithms for quantitatively analyzing brain images in MS patients will lead to a better understanding of the anatomical changes that occur during the progression of MS, and will facilitate clinical trials for MS drug therapies. This will ultimately lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of MS.

描述（由申请人提供）：多发性硬化症（MS）是一种中枢神经系统疾病，其特征在于灰质和白质结构中的炎症和神经轴突变性。 多发性硬化症影响着全球超过 250 万人，以及超过 25 万人在美国。 患者可能会出现一系列使人衰弱的症状，包括认知障碍、部分或完全视力丧失、四肢无力、头晕和疲劳。 这些症状通常在疾病发作时偶尔出现，但随着时间的推移，频率和强度都会恶化。 体内 MR 采集显示，多发性硬化症患者出现全脑和皮质萎缩、白质病变增加以及白质连接性减少。 然而，由于缺乏准确可靠的图像分析工具来有效模拟多发性硬化症中发生的解剖变化，对这些大脑变化的定量表征仍然是一个挑战。 为了解决这些问题，我们建议开发、验证和应用软件工具，对从多发性硬化症患者采集的 MR 脑图像进行纵向分析。 我们将利用我们的研究团队在全脑和病变分割、大脑皮层重建、白质束分割和软件工程方面的经验来创建一套工具，使多发性硬化症研究人员、临床医生以及最终的多发性硬化症患者受益患者群体。 在R01项目期间，我们将实现以下具体目标：1）开发专门用于利用MS对大脑图像进行定量纵向分析的图像分析工具； 2）提供用于验证单时间点和纵向MS图像分析算法的工具和数据； 3) 将开发的工具应用于正在进行的 MS 纵向研究，该研究将揭示大脑体积、病变体积和位置、皮质萎缩以及横断面和纵向尺度上的临床结果之间的关联。 所提出的工具将通过精确稳定地测量病变体积、脑组织体积、皮质几何形状和白质连接性来填补 MS 脑图像分析技术的关键空白。 该项目将对神经病学、神经科学和图像分析界产生重大影响。 发布的工具将有助于更好地理解多发性硬化症进展过程中发生的解剖学变化，从而有可能早期发现功能性特定系统的残疾。 此外，不仅将大大促进多发性硬化症药物治疗的临床试验，而且开发的工具还可用于识别适合特定药物治疗的患者亚群。 发布的数据和验证工具还将允许对现有方法和新开发的方法进行比较，不仅适用于多发性硬化症患者，还适用于健康人群。 公共卫生相关性：多发性硬化症是一种使人衰弱的神经系统疾病，仅在美国就有超过 250,000 人受到影响。 开发用于定量分析多发性硬化症患者脑部图像的稳健而准确的算法将有助于更好地了解多发性硬化症进展过程中发生的解剖学变化，并将促进多发性硬化症药物治疗的临床试验。 这最终将改善多发性硬化症的诊断和治疗。