Analysis of Functional Brain Images Using Population-Based Probabilistic Atlas

Advances in imaging technology in the past decades have allowed profound insights into the human brain function and anatomy for normal and pathological conditions. Population-based probabilistic atlases (probabilistic map) for structural and functional anatomy of the brain have been developed using MRI, SPECT, and cytoarchitectonic data and provide a standard framework for functional brain data analysis. For example, automated delineation of the volume of interest (VOI) using the probabilistic maps of individual brain structures predefined on standard templates provides an efficient way for the objective assessment of image intensity and the underlying physiologies reflected by that image intensity. This review will focus on the development of the population-based atlases and application studies proving the utility of the atlases in basic neuroscience and the clinical assessment of brain disorders.