The digital rat brain atlas (DIRBA) project has combined database and visualization technologies in Phase I to create a versatile 3D brain atlas in a standardized coordinate system (SCS). The DIRBA atlas is constructed using AutoCAD MAP technology. It capitalizes on AutoCAD MAP's geographic information systems (GIS) techniques including 3D visualization and fly through, reslicing the 3D digital brain, and making spatial queries to linked databases. In Phase II, warping techniques for aligning 3D experimental data and sequences of brain slices will be added to the DIRBA environment. A new, higher resolution brain atlas and SCS will be created for the mouse. MRI data from the same mouse used for the atlas will also be collected, and aligned with the mouse SCS. A set of transforms will be computed for moving data between mouse and rat SCS. The biological efficacy of the Atlas will be tested on an extensive set of experimental rat autoradiographs, as well as cross-modality in the mouse. A schema for storing data from various types of experiments using several imaging systems will be developed, and all data acquired in Phase II will be stored in a 3D spatial database. Techniques for browsing and querying this database will be developed.
NOT AVAILABLE
