Abstract #0939

Derivation of Unbiased Anatomical and Diffusion MRI Templates of Primate Brains for Cross-Species Analysis

Frederick William Damen¹, Longchuan Li², Xiaoping P. Hu¹,²

¹Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States; ²Biomedical Imaging and Technology Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States

In order to truly understand the network architecture of the human brain we must elucidate the connectivity networks of our primate ancestors. Analyzing the brain networks of chimpanzees, one of our closest living relatives, and macaques, an extensively studied primate, may shed light on the unique cognitive abilities of humans. Taking advantage of advanced group-wise registration algorithms and diffusion to anatomical co-registration techniques, we have developed a method to create unbiased anatomical and diffusion MRI templates for different primate brains. These templates can serve as a foundation to study the network architecture of several primate species on the population level.