Voxel-based texture analysis of the brain

PLoS One. 2015 Mar 10;10(3):e0117759. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117759. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

This paper presents a novel voxel-based method for texture analysis of brain images. Texture analysis is a powerful quantitative approach for analyzing voxel intensities and their interrelationships, but has been thus far limited to analyzing regions of interest. The proposed method provides a 3D statistical map comparing texture features on a voxel-by-voxel basis. The validity of the method was examined on artificially generated effects as well as on real MRI data in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The artificially generated effects included hyperintense and hypointense signals added to T1-weighted brain MRIs from 30 healthy subjects. The AD dataset included 30 patients with AD and 30 age/sex matched healthy control subjects. The proposed method detected artificial effects with high accuracy and revealed statistically significant differences between the AD and control groups. This paper extends the usage of texture analysis beyond the current region of interest analysis to voxel-by-voxel 3D statistical mapping and provides a hypothesis-free analysis tool to study cerebral pathology in neurological diseases.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Algorithms
  • Alzheimer Disease / pathology*
  • Brain / pathology*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / methods*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
  • Male
  • Reproducibility of Results

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/) to YHY; Killam Memorial Scholarship (http://killamlaureates.ca/) to RM; Alberta Innovates Graduate Student Scholarship (www.albertatechfutures.ca) to RM; ALS Society of Canada (https://www.als.ca/) to SK; and ALS Association (www.alsa.org/) to SK. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.