12th Annual IEEE Visualization Conference (Vis 2001)
San Diego, CA
October 21-26, 2001

Case Study: Interacting with Cortical Flat Maps of the Human Brain

Monica K. Hurdal*
Department of Mathematics
and CSIT+
Florida State University and
International Neuroimaging Consortium
VA Medical Center
University of Minneapolis
mhurdal@math.fsu.edu
Kevin W. Kurtz
Department of Computer Science
and CSIT+
Florida State University
kurtz@csit.fsu.edu
David C. Banks
Department of Computer Science
and CSIT+
Florida State University
banks@csit.fsu.edu

The complex geometry of the human brain contains many folds and fissures, making it impossible to view the entire surface at once. Since most of the cortical activity occurs on these folds, it is desirable to be able to view the entire surface of the brain in a single view. This can be achieved using quasi-conformal flat maps of the cortical surface. Computational and visualization tools are now needed to be able to interact with these flat maps of the brain to gain information about spatial and functional relationships that might not otherwise be apparent. Such information can contribute to earlier diagnostic tools for diseases and improved treatment. Our group is developing visualization and analysis tools that will help elucidate new information about the human brain through the interaction between a cortical surface and its corresponding quasi-conformal flat map.

CR Categories: J.3 [Computer Applications]: Life and Medical Sciences; I.3.3 [Computer Graphics]: Picture/Image Generation; I.3.8 [Computer Graphics]: Applications

Keyworks: Conformal, Cortical Features, Human Brain, Flat Map, Interaction, MRI, Neuroscience, Surface

+Address correspondence to Dr. Monica K. Hurdal, Florida State University, Department of Mathematics, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4510. Ph: (850) 644-7378; Fax: (850) 644-4053; Email: mhurdal@math.fsu.edu; URL: http://www.math.fsu.edu/~mhurdal
*School of Computational Science and Information Technology


REPRINT VERSION: 5 pages including 1 color plate
gzipped pdf 4.9 MB File
Acompanying Quicktimes Movies: Morphing the Cortical Surface onto the Flat Map (15.1 MB) and Interacting with Cortical Regions of Interest and Calculating Surface Area (22.3 MB)
or available as:
M. K. Hurdal, K. W. Kurtz, D. C. Banks, Case Study: Interacting with Cortical Flat Maps of the Human Brain, in T. Ertl, K. Joy and A. Varshney (eds), Proceedings Visualization 2001, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, pp. 469-472 & 591, 2001.

Updated November 2001.
Copyright 2001 by Monica K. Hurdal. All rights reserved.