Cortical Connectome Registration Using Spherical Demons

摘要

We present an algorithm to align cortical surface models based on structural connectivity. We follow the continuous connectivity approach,1'2 assigning a dense connectivity to every surface point-pair. We adapt and modify an approach for aligning low-rank functional networks based on eigenvalue decomposition of individual connectomes.3 The spherical demons framework then provides a natural setting for inter-subject connectivity alignment, enforcing a smooth, anatomically plausible correspondence, and allowing us to incorporate anatomical as well as connectivity information. We apply our algorithm to 98 diffusion MRI images in an Alzheimer's Disease study, and 731 healthy subjects from the Human Connectome Project. Our method consistently reduces connectome variability due to misalignment. Further, the approach reveals subtle disease effects on structural connectivity which are not seen when registering only cortical anatomy.