Multimodal, high-resolution modeling of the thalamus for neuroimaging studies: application to dyslexia

Información del proyecto

THALAMODEL

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: 654911

DOI

10.3030/654911

Proyecto finalizado el 31 Agosto 2016

Fecha de la firma de la CE 2 Marzo 2015

Fecha de inicio 1 Junio 2015

Fecha de finalización 31 Mayo 2017

Financiado con arreglo a

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Coste total

€ 170 121,60

Aportación de la UE

€ 170 121,60

Coordinado por

BCBL BASQUE CENTER ON COGNITION BRAIN AND LANGUAGE
Spain

Objetivo

The thalamus is a brain structure that is responsible for important functions (e.g. sensory systems, sleep, the motor system, spoken language) which are distributed over its 12 nuclei . While recent advances in MRI technology have made it possible to image the thalamic nuclei in vivo, the lack of specific computational tools to analyze the images forces most research studies to either treat the thalamus as a single structure (limiting the spatial specificity of the analysis) or to rely on the excruciating process of manually labeling the data. Since very few sites currently possess the anatomical expertise and staffing resources to carry out studies based on manual delineations, the lack of tools to analyze MRI data of the thalamus is hampering progress in different branches of neuroscience.

Here we present an interdisciplinary project to build tools to automatically analyze the thalamic nuclei in MRI data. The tools will be based on a statistical atlas of the thalamus built upon ultra-high resolution MRI and histological data from autopsy samples. We will use the tools in a study of the relation between thalamus and dyslexia, where they promise to increase our understanding of the pathology by testing which nuclei are affected and to what extent. In addition, the tools will be distributed as part of the software package FreeSurfer, allowing its over 10,000 worldwide users to carry out cognitive neuroscience experiments at the nucleus level, and to discover new imaging biomarkers of other diseases related to the thalamus, e.g. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, MS and ALS.

This project will allow the host to acquire knowledge in medical image analysis from the applicant and to establish collaborations with Harvard and Oxford (host of the proposed secondment). The project will also expand the applicant’s research network and train him in areas (ex vivo MRI, psycholinguistic studies) that complement his image analysis skills, preparing him for a future faculty position.

Ámbito científico (EuroSciVoc)

• ciencias naturales › informática y ciencias de la información › software
• ciencias naturales › ciencias biológicas › neurobiología › neurociencia cognitiva
• ciencias médicas y de la salud › medicina básica › anatomía y morfología
• ciencias médicas y de la salud › medicina básica › neurología › parkinson
• ciencias naturales › ciencias biológicas › histología

Palabras clave

• thalamus
• statistical atlas
• dyslexia
• neuroimaging
• MRI

Programa(s)

• H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions PROGRAMA PRINCIPAL
  
• H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
  

Tema(s)

• MSCA-IF-2014-EF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF)
  

Régimen de financiación

MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

Convocatoria de propuestas

H2020-MSCA-IF-2014

Coordinador

BCBL BASQUE CENTER ON COGNITION BRAIN AND LANGUAGE

• Aportación neta de la UEn: € 170 121,60
• Dirección: PASEO MIKELETEGI 69 2 ; 20009 San Sebastian ; España
• Región: Noreste › País Vasco › Gipuzkoa
• Tipo de actividad: Research Organisations
• Coste total: € 170 121,60