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Hoffmann C, Cho E, Zalesky A, Di Biase MA. From pixels to connections: exploring in vitro neuron reconstruction software for network graph generation. Commun Biol 2024; 7:571. [PMID: 38750282 PMCID: PMC11096190 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06264-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Digital reconstruction has been instrumental in deciphering how in vitro neuron architecture shapes information flow. Emerging approaches reconstruct neural systems as networks with the aim of understanding their organization through graph theory. Computational tools dedicated to this objective build models of nodes and edges based on key cellular features such as somata, axons, and dendrites. Fully automatic implementations of these tools are readily available, but they may also be purpose-built from specialized algorithms in the form of multi-step pipelines. Here we review software tools informing the construction of network models, spanning from noise reduction and segmentation to full network reconstruction. The scope and core specifications of each tool are explicitly defined to assist bench scientists in selecting the most suitable option for their microscopy dataset. Existing tools provide a foundation for complete network reconstruction, however more progress is needed in establishing morphological bases for directed/weighted connectivity and in software validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra Hoffmann
- Systems Neuroscience Lab, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
| | - Ellie Cho
- Biological Optical Microscopy Platform, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Andrew Zalesky
- Systems Neuroscience Lab, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Maria A Di Biase
- Systems Neuroscience Lab, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- Stem Cell Disease Modelling Lab, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
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2
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Chang GH, Wu MY, Yen LH, Huang DY, Lin YH, Luo YR, Liu YD, Xu B, Leong KW, Lai WS, Chiang AS, Wang KC, Lin CH, Wang SL, Chu LA. Isotropic multi-scale neuronal reconstruction from high-ratio expansion microscopy with contrastive unsupervised deep generative models. COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE 2024; 244:107991. [PMID: 38185040 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2023.107991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Current methods for imaging reconstruction from high-ratio expansion microscopy (ExM) data are limited by anisotropic optical resolution and the requirement for extensive manual annotation, creating a significant bottleneck in the analysis of complex neuronal structures. METHODS We devised an innovative approach called the IsoGAN model, which utilizes a contrastive unsupervised generative adversarial network to sidestep these constraints. This model leverages multi-scale and isotropic neuron/protein/blood vessel morphology data to generate high-fidelity 3D representations of these structures, eliminating the need for rigorous manual annotation and supervision. The IsoGAN model introduces simplified structures with idealized morphologies as shape priors to ensure high consistency in the generated neuronal profiles across all points in space and scalability for arbitrarily large volumes. RESULTS The efficacy of the IsoGAN model in accurately reconstructing complex neuronal structures was quantitatively assessed by examining the consistency between the axial and lateral views and identifying a reduction in erroneous imaging artifacts. The IsoGAN model accurately reconstructed complex neuronal structures, as evidenced by the consistency between the axial and lateral views and a reduction in erroneous imaging artifacts, and can be further applied to various biological samples. CONCLUSION With its ability to generate detailed 3D neurons/proteins/blood vessel structures using significantly fewer axial view images, IsoGAN can streamline the process of imaging reconstruction while maintaining the necessary detail, offering a transformative solution to the existing limitations in high-throughput morphology analysis across different structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Han Chang
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Graduate School of Advanced Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
| | - Meng-Yun Wu
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Ling-Hui Yen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC; Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Da-Yu Huang
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Ya-Hui Lin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC; Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yi-Ru Luo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC; Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Ya-Ding Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC; Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Bin Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Kam W Leong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Wen-Sung Lai
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Ann-Shyn Chiang
- Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC; Institute of System Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Kuo-Chuan Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chin-Hsien Lin
- Department of Neurosurgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Shih-Luen Wang
- Department of Physics and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Complex Systems, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Li-An Chu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC; Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC.
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3
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Berehova N, Buckle T, van Meerbeek MP, Bunschoten A, Velders AH, van Leeuwen FWB. Nerve Targeting via Myelin Protein Zero and the Impact of Dimerization on Binding Affinity. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27249015. [PMID: 36558148 PMCID: PMC9786614 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27249015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Surgically induced nerve damage is a common but debilitating side effect. By developing tracers that specifically target the most abundant protein in peripheral myelin, namely myelin protein zero (P0), we intend to support fluorescence-guided nerve-sparing surgery. To that end, we aimed to develop a dimeric tracer that shows a superior affinity for P0. METHODS Following truncation of homotypic P0 protein-based peptide sequences and fluorescence labeling, the lead compound Cy5-P0101-125 was selected. Using a bifunctional fluorescent dye, the dimeric Cy5-(P0101-125)2 was created. Assessment of the performance of the mono- and bi-labeled compounds was based on (photo)physical evaluation. This was followed by in vitro assessment in P0 expressing Schwannoma cell cultures by means of fluorescence confocal imaging (specificity, location of binding) and flow cytometry (binding affinity; KD). RESULTS Dimerization resulted in a 1.5-fold increase in affinity compared to the mono-labeled counterpart (70.3 +/- 10.0 nM vs. 104.9 +/- 16.7 nM; p = 0.003) which resulted in a 4-fold increase in staining efficiency in P0 expressing Schwannoma cells. Presence of two targeting vectors also improves a pharmacokinetics of labeled compounds by lowering serum binding and optical stability by preventing dye stacking. CONCLUSIONS Dimerization of the nerve-targeting peptide P0101-125 proves a valid strategy to improve P0 targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataliia Berehova
- Interventional Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Tessa Buckle
- Interventional Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten P. van Meerbeek
- Interventional Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Anton Bunschoten
- Laboratory of BioNanoTechnology, Wageningen University & Research, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708 WG Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Aldrik H. Velders
- Laboratory of BioNanoTechnology, Wageningen University & Research, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708 WG Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Fijs W. B. van Leeuwen
- Interventional Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of BioNanoTechnology, Wageningen University & Research, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708 WG Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Correspondence:
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4
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Efficient metadata mining of web-accessible neural morphologies. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 168:94-102. [PMID: 34022302 PMCID: PMC8602463 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2021.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Advancements in neuroscience research have led to steadily accelerating data production and sharing. The online community repository of neural reconstructions NeuroMorpho.Org grew from fewer than 1000 digitally traced neurons in 2006 to more than 140,000 cells today, including glia that now constitute 10.1% of the content. Every reconstruction consists of a detailed 3D representation of branch geometry and connectivity in a standardized format, from which a collection of morphometric features is extracted and stored. Moreover, each entry in the database is accompanied by rich metadata annotation describing the animal subject, anatomy, and experimental details. The rapid expansion of this resource in the past decade was accompanied by a parallel rise in the complexity of the available information, creating both opportunities and challenges for knowledge mining. Here, we introduce a new summary reporting functionality, allowing NeuroMorpho.Org users to efficiently download digests of metadata and morphometrics from multiple groups of similar cells for further analysis. We demonstrate the capabilities of the tool for both glia and neurons and present an illustrative statistical analysis of the resulting data.
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Reed JD, Blackwell KT. Prediction of Neural Diameter From Morphology to Enable Accurate Simulation. Front Neuroinform 2021; 15:666695. [PMID: 34149388 PMCID: PMC8209307 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2021.666695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate neuron morphologies are paramount for computational model simulations of realistic neural responses. Over the last decade, the online repository NeuroMorpho.Org has collected over 140,000 available neuron morphologies to understand brain function and promote interaction between experimental and computational research. Neuron morphologies describe spatial aspects of neural structure; however, many of the available morphologies do not contain accurate diameters that are essential for computational simulations of electrical activity. To best utilize available neuron morphologies, we present a set of equations that predict dendritic diameter from other morphological features. To derive the equations, we used a set of NeuroMorpho.org archives with realistic neuron diameters, representing hippocampal pyramidal, cerebellar Purkinje, and striatal spiny projection neurons. Each morphology is separated into initial, branching children, and continuing nodes. Our analysis reveals that the diameter of preceding nodes, Parent Diameter, is correlated to diameter of subsequent nodes for all cell types. Branching children and initial nodes each required additional morphological features to predict diameter, such as path length to soma, total dendritic length, and longest path to terminal end. Model simulations reveal that membrane potential response with predicted diameters is similar to the original response for several tested morphologies. We provide our open source software to extend the utility of available NeuroMorpho.org morphologies, and suggest predictive equations may supplement morphologies that lack dendritic diameter and improve model simulations with realistic dendritic diameter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D Reed
- Krasnow Institute of Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States.,Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States
| | - Kim T Blackwell
- Krasnow Institute of Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, Volgenau School of Engineering, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States
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6
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Quartarone A, Cacciola A, Milardi D, Ghilardi MF, Calamuneri A, Chillemi G, Anastasi G, Rothwell J. New insights into cortico-basal-cerebellar connectome: clinical and physiological considerations. Brain 2020; 143:396-406. [PMID: 31628799 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awz310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The current model of the basal ganglia system based on the 'direct', 'indirect' and 'hyperdirect' pathways provides striking predictions about basal ganglia function that have been used to develop deep brain stimulation approaches for Parkinson's disease and dystonia. The aim of this review is to challenge this scheme in light of new tract tracing information that has recently become available from the human brain using MRI-based tractography, thus providing a novel perspective on the basal ganglia system. We also explore the implications of additional direct pathways running from cortex to basal ganglia and between basal ganglia and cerebellum in the pathophysiology of movement disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo Quartarone
- Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Alberto Cacciola
- Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Demetrio Milardi
- Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.,IRCCS Centro Neurolesi 'Bonino Pulejo', Messina, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Giuseppe Anastasi
- Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - John Rothwell
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
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7
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Li S, Quan T, Zhou H, Huang Q, Guan T, Chen Y, Xu C, Kang H, Li A, Fu L, Luo Q, Gong H, Zeng S. Brain-Wide Shape Reconstruction of a Traced Neuron Using the Convex Image Segmentation Method. Neuroinformatics 2019; 18:199-218. [PMID: 31396858 DOI: 10.1007/s12021-019-09434-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal shape reconstruction is a helpful technique for establishing neuron identity, inferring neuronal connections, mapping neuronal circuits, and so on. Advances in optical imaging techniques have enabled data collection that includes the shape of a neuron across the whole brain, considerably extending the scope of neuronal anatomy. However, such datasets often include many fuzzy neurites and many crossover regions that neurites are closely attached, which make neuronal shape reconstruction more challenging. In this study, we proposed a convex image segmentation model for neuronal shape reconstruction that segments a neurite into cross sections along its traced skeleton. Both the sparse nature of gradient images and the rule that fuzzy neurites usually have a small radius are utilized to improve neuronal shape reconstruction in regions with fuzzy neurites. Because the model is closely related to the traced skeleton point, we can use this relationship for identifying neurite with crossover regions. We demonstrated the performance of our model on various datasets, including those with fuzzy neurites and neurites with crossover regions, and we verified that our model could robustly reconstruct the neuron shape on a brain-wide scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiwei Li
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Tingwei Quan
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China. .,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China. .,School of Mathematics and Economics, Hubei University of Education, Wuhan, 430205, Hubei, China.
| | - Hang Zhou
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Qing Huang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Tao Guan
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yijun Chen
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Cheng Xu
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Hongtao Kang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Anan Li
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Ling Fu
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Qingming Luo
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Hui Gong
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Shaoqun Zeng
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
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8
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The Known and Missing Links Between the Cerebellum, Basal Ganglia, and Cerebral Cortex. THE CEREBELLUM 2019; 16:753-755. [PMID: 28215041 DOI: 10.1007/s12311-017-0850-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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9
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Li S, Quan T, Xu C, Huang Q, Kang H, Chen Y, Li A, Fu L, Luo Q, Gong H, Zeng S. Optimization of Traced Neuron Skeleton Using Lasso-Based Model. Front Neuroanat 2019; 13:18. [PMID: 30846931 PMCID: PMC6393391 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2019.00018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Reconstruction of neuronal morphology from images involves mainly the extraction of neuronal skeleton points. It is an indispensable step in the quantitative analysis of neurons. Due to the complex morphology of neurons, many widely used tracing methods have difficulties in accurately acquiring skeleton points near branch points or in structures with tortuosity. Here, we propose two models to solve these problems. One is based on an L1-norm minimization model, which can better identify tortuous structure, namely, a local structure with large curvature skeleton points; the other detects an optimized branch point by considering the combination patterns of all neurites that link to this point. We combined these two models to achieve optimized skeleton detection for a neuron. We validate our models in various datasets including MOST and BigNeuron. In addition, we demonstrate that our method can optimize the traced skeletons from large-scale images. These characteristics of our approach indicate that it can reduce manual editing of traced skeletons and help to accelerate the accurate reconstruction of neuronal morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiwei Li
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China
| | - Tingwei Quan
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China.,School of Mathematics and Economics, Hubei University of Education, Hubei, China
| | - Cheng Xu
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China
| | - Qing Huang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China
| | - Hongtao Kang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China
| | - Yijun Chen
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China
| | - Anan Li
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China
| | - Ling Fu
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China
| | - Qingming Luo
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China
| | - Hui Gong
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China
| | - Shaoqun Zeng
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China
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10
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Abstract
Digital reconstruction of a single neuron occupies an important position in computational neuroscience. Although many novel methods have been proposed, recent advances in molecular labeling and imaging systems allow for the production of large and complicated neuronal datasets, which pose many challenges for neuron reconstruction, especially when discontinuous neuronal morphology appears in a strong noise environment. Here, we develop a new pipeline to address this challenge. Our pipeline is based on two methods, one is the region-to-region connection (RRC) method for detecting the initial part of a neurite, which can effectively gather local cues, i.e., avoid the whole image analysis, and thus boosts the efficacy of computation; the other is constrained principal curves method for completing the neurite reconstruction, which uses the past reconstruction information of a neurite for current reconstruction and thus can be suitable for tracing discontinuous neurites. We investigate the reconstruction performances of our pipeline and some of the best state-of-the-art algorithms on the experimental datasets, indicating the superiority of our method in reconstructing sparsely distributed neurons with discontinuous neuronal morphologies in noisy environment. We show the strong ability of our pipeline in dealing with the large-scale image dataset. We validate the effectiveness in dealing with various kinds of image stacks including those from the DIADEM challenge and BigNeuron project.
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11
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Hinne M, Meijers A, Bakker R, Tiesinga PHE, Mørup M, van Gerven MAJ. The missing link: Predicting connectomes from noisy and partially observed tract tracing data. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005374. [PMID: 28141820 PMCID: PMC5308841 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2016] [Revised: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of the wiring map of the brain, known as the connectome, has increased greatly in the last decade, mostly due to technological advancements in neuroimaging techniques and improvements in computational tools to interpret the vast amount of available data. Despite this, with the exception of the C. elegans roundworm, no definitive connectome has been established for any species. In order to obtain this, tracer studies are particularly appealing, as these have proven highly reliable. The downside of tract tracing is that it is costly to perform, and can only be applied ex vivo. In this paper, we suggest that instead of probing all possible connections, hitherto unknown connections may be predicted from the data that is already available. Our approach uses a 'latent space model' that embeds the connectivity in an abstract physical space. Regions that are close in the latent space have a high chance of being connected, while regions far apart are most likely disconnected in the connectome. After learning the latent embedding from the connections that we did observe, the latent space allows us to predict connections that have not been probed previously. We apply the methodology to two connectivity data sets of the macaque, where we demonstrate that the latent space model is successful in predicting unobserved connectivity, outperforming two baselines and an alternative model in nearly all cases. Furthermore, we show how the latent spatial embedding may be used to integrate multimodal observations (i.e. anterograde and retrograde tracers) for the mouse neocortex. Finally, our probabilistic approach enables us to make explicit which connections are easy to predict and which prove difficult, allowing for informed follow-up studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Hinne
- Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Annet Meijers
- Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Rembrandt Bakker
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Institute for Advanced Simulation and JARA BRAIN Institute I, Jülich Research Centre, Jülich, Germany
| | - Paul H. E. Tiesinga
- Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Morten Mørup
- Technical University of Denmark, DTU Compute, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Marcel A. J. van Gerven
- Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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12
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Lu J, Zuo Y. Clustered structural and functional plasticity of dendritic spines. Brain Res Bull 2016; 129:18-22. [PMID: 27637453 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2016.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Revised: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 09/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The configuration of synaptic circuits underlies their ability to process and store information. Research on dendritic spines has revealed that their structural and functional alterations are clustered along the parent dendrite. Here we review the evidence supporting such notion of clustered synaptic plasticity, discuss its functional implications and possible contributing factors, and suggest potential strategies to deal with open challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ju Lu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
| | - Yi Zuo
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
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13
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Papp EA, Leergaard TB, Csucs G, Bjaalie JG. Brain-Wide Mapping of Axonal Connections: Workflow for Automated Detection and Spatial Analysis of Labeling in Microscopic Sections. Front Neuroinform 2016; 10:11. [PMID: 27148038 PMCID: PMC4835481 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2016.00011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Axonal tracing techniques are powerful tools for exploring the structural organization of neuronal connections. Tracers such as biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) and Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (Pha-L) allow brain-wide mapping of connections through analysis of large series of histological section images. We present a workflow for efficient collection and analysis of tract-tracing datasets with a focus on newly developed modules for image processing and assignment of anatomical location to tracing data. New functionality includes automatic detection of neuronal labeling in large image series, alignment of images to a volumetric brain atlas, and analytical tools for measuring the position and extent of labeling. To evaluate the workflow, we used high-resolution microscopic images from axonal tracing experiments in which different parts of the rat primary somatosensory cortex had been injected with BDA or Pha-L. Parameters from a set of representative images were used to automate detection of labeling in image series covering the entire brain, resulting in binary maps of the distribution of labeling. For high to medium labeling densities, automatic detection was found to provide reliable results when compared to manual analysis, whereas weak labeling required manual curation for optimal detection. To identify brain regions corresponding to labeled areas, section images were aligned to the Waxholm Space (WHS) atlas of the Sprague Dawley rat brain (v2) by custom-angle slicing of the MRI template to match individual sections. Based on the alignment, WHS coordinates were obtained for labeled elements and transformed to stereotaxic coordinates. The new workflow modules increase the efficiency and reliability of labeling detection in large series of images from histological sections, and enable anchoring to anatomical atlases for further spatial analysis and comparison with other data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eszter A Papp
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Gergely Csucs
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo Oslo, Norway
| | - Jan G Bjaalie
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo Oslo, Norway
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14
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Milardi D, Arrigo A, Anastasi G, Cacciola A, Marino S, Mormina E, Calamuneri A, Bruschetta D, Cutroneo G, Trimarchi F, Quartarone A. Extensive Direct Subcortical Cerebellum-Basal Ganglia Connections in Human Brain as Revealed by Constrained Spherical Deconvolution Tractography. Front Neuroanat 2016; 10:29. [PMID: 27047348 PMCID: PMC4796021 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2016.00029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 03/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The connections between the cerebellum and basal ganglia were assumed to occur at the level of neocortex. However evidences from animal data have challenged this old perspective showing extensive subcortical pathways linking the cerebellum with the basal ganglia. Here we tested the hypothesis if these connections also exist between the cerebellum and basal ganglia in the human brain by using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and tractography. Fifteen healthy subjects were analyzed by using constrained spherical deconvolution technique obtained with a 3T magnetic resonance imaging scanner. We found extensive connections running between the subthalamic nucleus and cerebellar cortex and, as novel result, we demonstrated a direct route linking the dentate nucleus to the internal globus pallidus as well as to the substantia nigra. These findings may open a new scenario on the interpretation of basal ganglia disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Demetrio Milardi
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino Pulejo", MessinaItaly; Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images, University of MessinaMessina, Italy
| | - Alessandro Arrigo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina Messina, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Anastasi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina Messina, Italy
| | - Alberto Cacciola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina Messina, Italy
| | - Silvia Marino
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino Pulejo", MessinaItaly; Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images, University of MessinaMessina, Italy
| | - Enricomaria Mormina
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina Messina, Italy
| | - Alessandro Calamuneri
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina Messina, Italy
| | - Daniele Bruschetta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina Messina, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Cutroneo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina Messina, Italy
| | - Fabio Trimarchi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina Messina, Italy
| | - Angelo Quartarone
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino Pulejo", MessinaItaly; Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images, University of MessinaMessina, Italy
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15
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Lin CW, Lin HW, Chiu MT, Shih YH, Wang TY, Chang HM, Chiang AS. Automated in situ brain imaging for mapping the Drosophila connectome. J Neurogenet 2015. [PMID: 26223305 DOI: 10.3109/01677063.2015.1078801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Mapping the connectome, a wiring diagram of the entire brain, requires large-scale imaging of numerous single neurons with diverse morphology. It is a formidable challenge to reassemble these neurons into a virtual brain and correlate their structural networks with neuronal activities, which are measured in different experiments to analyze the informational flow in the brain. Here, we report an in situ brain imaging technique called Fly Head Array Slice Tomography (FHAST), which permits the reconstruction of structural and functional data to generate an integrative connectome in Drosophila. Using FHAST, the head capsules of an array of flies can be opened with a single vibratome sectioning to expose the brains, replacing the painstaking and inconsistent brain dissection process. FHAST can reveal in situ brain neuroanatomy with minimal distortion to neuronal morphology and maintain intact neuronal connections to peripheral sensory organs. Most importantly, it enables the automated 3D imaging of 100 intact fly brains in each experiment. The established head model with in situ brain neuroanatomy allows functional data to be accurately registered and associated with 3D images of single neurons. These integrative data can then be shared, searched, visualized, and analyzed for understanding how brain-wide activities in different neurons within the same circuit function together to control complex behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Wen Lin
- a Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University , Hsinchu , Taiwan
| | - Hsuan-Wen Lin
- a Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University , Hsinchu , Taiwan
| | - Mei-Tzu Chiu
- b Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University , Hsinchu , Taiwan
| | - Yung-Hsin Shih
- b Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University , Hsinchu , Taiwan
| | - Ting-Yuan Wang
- a Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University , Hsinchu , Taiwan
| | - Hsiu-Ming Chang
- b Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University , Hsinchu , Taiwan
| | - Ann-Shyn Chiang
- a Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University , Hsinchu , Taiwan.,b Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University , Hsinchu , Taiwan.,c Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica , Taipei , Taiwan.,d Department of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology , Kaohsiung Medical University , Kaohsiung , Taiwan.,e Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California , San Diego, La Jolla, California , USA
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16
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Sanders J, Singh A, Sterne G, Ye B, Zhou J. Learning-guided automatic three dimensional synapse quantification for drosophila neurons. BMC Bioinformatics 2015; 16:177. [PMID: 26017624 PMCID: PMC4445279 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-015-0616-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The subcellular distribution of synapses is fundamentally important for the assembly, function, and plasticity of the nervous system. Automated and effective quantification tools are a prerequisite to large-scale studies of the molecular mechanisms of subcellular synapse distribution. Common practices for synapse quantification in neuroscience labs remain largely manual or semi-manual. This is mainly due to computational challenges in automatic quantification of synapses, including large volume, high dimensions and staining artifacts. In the case of confocal imaging, optical limit and xy-z resolution disparity also require special considerations to achieve the necessary robustness. RESULTS A novel algorithm is presented in the paper for learning-guided automatic recognition and quantification of synaptic markers in 3D confocal images. The method developed a discriminative model based on 3D feature descriptors that detected the centers of synaptic markers. It made use of adaptive thresholding and multi-channel co-localization to improve the robustness. The detected markers then guided the splitting of synapse clumps, which further improved the precision and recall of the detected synapses. Algorithms were tested on lobula plate tangential cells (LPTCs) in the brain of Drosophila melanogaster, for GABAergic synaptic markers on axon terminals as well as dendrites. CONCLUSIONS The presented method was able to overcome the staining artifacts and the fuzzy boundaries of synapse clumps in 3D confocal image, and automatically quantify synaptic markers in a complex neuron such as LPTC. Comparison with some existing tools used in automatic 3D synapse quantification also proved the effectiveness of the proposed method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Sanders
- Department of Computer Science, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115, USA
| | - Anil Singh
- Department of Computer Science, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115, USA
| | - Gabriella Sterne
- Life Sciences Institute and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Bing Ye
- Life Sciences Institute and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jie Zhou
- Department of Computer Science, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115, USA.
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17
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Ullo S, Murino V, Maccione A, Berdondini L, Sona D. Bridging the gap in connectomic studies: A particle filtering framework for estimating structural connectivity at network scale. Med Image Anal 2014; 21:1-14. [PMID: 25576426 DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2014.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2014] [Revised: 11/24/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The ultimate goal of neuroscience is understanding the brain at a functional level. This requires the investigation of the structural connectivity at multiple scales: from the single-neuron micro-connectomics to the brain-region macro-connectomics. In this work, we address the study of connectomics at the intermediate mesoscale, introducing a probabilistic approach capable of reconstructing complex topologies of large neuronal networks. Suitable directional features are designed to model the local neuritic architecture and a feature-based particle filtering framework is proposed which allows the spatial tracking of neurites on microscopy images. The experimental results on cultures of increasing complexity, grown on High-Density Micro Electrode Arrays, show good stability and performance as compared to ground truth annotations drawn by domain experts. We also show how the method can be used to dissect the structural connectivity of inhibitory and excitatory subnetworks opening new perspectives towards the investigation of functional interactions among multiple cellular populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Ullo
- Pattern Analysis and Computer Vision (PAVIS), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy.
| | - Vittorio Murino
- Pattern Analysis and Computer Vision (PAVIS), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Maccione
- Neuroscience and Brain Technologies (NBT), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Luca Berdondini
- Neuroscience and Brain Technologies (NBT), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Diego Sona
- Pattern Analysis and Computer Vision (PAVIS), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
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18
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Milardi D, Gaeta M, Marino S, Arrigo A, Vaccarino G, Mormina E, Rizzo G, Milazzo C, Finocchio G, Baglieri A, Anastasi G, Quartarone A. Basal ganglia network by constrained spherical deconvolution: a possible cortico-pallidal pathway? Mov Disord 2014; 30:342-9. [PMID: 25156805 DOI: 10.1002/mds.25995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2013] [Revised: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 07/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In the recent past, basal ganglia circuitry was simplified as represented by the direct and indirect pathways and by hyperdirect pathways. Based on data from animal studies, we hypothesized a fourth pathway, the cortico-pallidal, pathway, that complements the hyperdirect pathway to the subthalamus. Ten normal brains were analyzed by using the high angular resolution diffusion imaging-constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD)-based technique. The study was performed with a 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner (Achieva, Philips Healthcare, Best, Netherlands); by using a 32-channel SENSE head coil. We showed that CSD is a powerful technique that allows a fine evaluation of both the long and small tracts between cortex and basal ganglia, including direct, indirect, and hyperdirect pathways. In addition, a pathway directly connecting the cortex to the globus pallidus was seen. Our results confirm that the CSD tractography is a valuable technique allowing a reliable reconstruction of small- and long-fiber pathways in brain regions with multiple fiber orientations, such as basal ganglia. This could open a future scenario in which CSD could be used to focally target with deep brain stimulation (DBS) the small bundles within the basal ganglia loops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Demetrio Milardi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Italy; IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, Messina, Italy
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19
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Quan T, Li J, Zhou H, Li S, Zheng T, Yang Z, Luo Q, Gong H, Zeng S. Digital reconstruction of the cell body in dense neural circuits using a spherical-coordinated variational model. Sci Rep 2014; 4:4970. [PMID: 24829141 PMCID: PMC4021323 DOI: 10.1038/srep04970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2013] [Accepted: 04/09/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Mapping the neuronal circuits is essential to understand brain function. Recent technological advancements have made it possible to acquire the brain atlas at single cell resolution. Digital reconstruction of the neural circuits down to this level across the whole brain would significantly facilitate brain studies. However, automatic reconstruction of the dense neural connections from microscopic image still remains a challenge. Here we developed a spherical-coordinate based variational model to reconstruct the shape of the cell body i.e. soma, as one of the procedures for this purpose. When intuitively processing the volumetric images in the spherical coordinate system, the reconstruction of somas with variational model is no longer sensitive to the interference of the complicated neuronal morphology, and could automatically and robustly achieve accurate soma shape regardless of the dense spatial distribution, and diversity in cell size, and morphology. We believe this method would speed drawing the neural circuits and boost brain studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingwei Quan
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan 430074, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Hubei University of Education, Wuhan 430205, China
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Jing Li
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan 430074, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Hang Zhou
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan 430074, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Shiwei Li
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan 430074, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Ting Zheng
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan 430074, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Zhongqing Yang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan 430074, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Qingming Luo
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan 430074, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Hui Gong
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan 430074, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Shaoqun Zeng
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan 430074, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
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20
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NeuroGPS: automated localization of neurons for brain circuits using L1 minimization model. Sci Rep 2013; 3:1414. [PMID: 23546385 PMCID: PMC3613804 DOI: 10.1038/srep01414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2013] [Accepted: 02/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Drawing the map of neuronal circuits at microscopic resolution is important to explain how brain works. Recent progresses in fluorescence labeling and imaging techniques have enabled measuring the whole brain of a rodent like a mouse at submicron-resolution. Considering the huge volume of such datasets, automatic tracing and reconstruct the neuronal connections from the image stacks is essential to form the large scale circuits. However, the first step among which, automated location the soma across different brain areas remains a challenge. Here, we addressed this problem by introducing L1 minimization model. We developed a fully automated system, NeuronGlobalPositionSystem (NeuroGPS) that is robust to the broad diversity of shape, size and density of the neurons in a mouse brain. This method allows locating the neurons across different brain areas without human intervention. We believe this method would facilitate the analysis of the neuronal circuits for brain function and disease studies.
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21
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Zhou J, Lamichhane S, Sterne G, Ye B, Peng H. BIOCAT: a pattern recognition platform for customizable biological image classification and annotation. BMC Bioinformatics 2013; 14:291. [PMID: 24090164 PMCID: PMC3854450 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-14-291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2013] [Accepted: 09/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pattern recognition algorithms are useful in bioimage informatics applications such as quantifying cellular and subcellular objects, annotating gene expressions, and classifying phenotypes. To provide effective and efficient image classification and annotation for the ever-increasing microscopic images, it is desirable to have tools that can combine and compare various algorithms, and build customizable solution for different biological problems. However, current tools often offer a limited solution in generating user-friendly and extensible tools for annotating higher dimensional images that correspond to multiple complicated categories. Results We develop the BIOimage Classification and Annotation Tool (BIOCAT). It is able to apply pattern recognition algorithms to two- and three-dimensional biological image sets as well as regions of interest (ROIs) in individual images for automatic classification and annotation. We also propose a 3D anisotropic wavelet feature extractor for extracting textural features from 3D images with xy-z resolution disparity. The extractor is one of the about 20 built-in algorithms of feature extractors, selectors and classifiers in BIOCAT. The algorithms are modularized so that they can be “chained” in a customizable way to form adaptive solution for various problems, and the plugin-based extensibility gives the tool an open architecture to incorporate future algorithms. We have applied BIOCAT to classification and annotation of images and ROIs of different properties with applications in cell biology and neuroscience. Conclusions BIOCAT provides a user-friendly, portable platform for pattern recognition based biological image classification of two- and three- dimensional images and ROIs. We show, via diverse case studies, that different algorithms and their combinations have different suitability for various problems. The customizability of BIOCAT is thus expected to be useful for providing effective and efficient solutions for a variety of biological problems involving image classification and annotation. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of 3D anisotropic wavelet in classifying both 3D image sets and ROIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhou
- Department of Computer Science, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA.
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22
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The mind-brain relationship as a mathematical problem. ISRN NEUROSCIENCE 2013; 2013:261364. [PMID: 24967307 PMCID: PMC4045549 DOI: 10.1155/2013/261364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2013] [Accepted: 03/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This paper aims to frame certain fundamental aspects of the human mind (content and meaning of mental states) and foundational elements of brain computation (spatial and temporal patterns of neural activity) so as to enable at least in principle their integration within one and the same quantitative representation. Through the history of science, similar approaches have been instrumental to bridge other seemingly mysterious scientific phenomena, such as thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, optics and electromagnetism, or chemistry and quantum physics, among several other examples. Identifying the relevant levels of analysis is important to define proper mathematical formalisms for describing the brain and the mind, such that they could be mapped onto each other in order to explain their equivalence. Based on these premises, we overview the potential of neural connectivity to provide highly informative constraints on brain computational process. Moreover, we outline approaches for representing cognitive and emotional states geometrically with semantic maps. Next, we summarize leading theoretical framework that might serve as an explanatory bridge between neural connectivity and mental space. Furthermore, we discuss the implications of this framework for human communication and our view of reality. We conclude by analyzing the practical requirements to manage the necessary data for solving the mind-brain problem from this perspective.
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23
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Ascoli GA. Potential connectomics complements the endeavour of 'no synapse left behind' in the cortex. J Physiol 2012; 590:651-2. [PMID: 22344980 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.225664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio A Ascoli
- Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
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24
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Choromanska A, Chang SF, Yuste R. Automatic reconstruction of neural morphologies with multi-scale tracking. Front Neural Circuits 2012; 6:25. [PMID: 22754498 PMCID: PMC3385559 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2012.00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2011] [Accepted: 04/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons have complex axonal and dendritic morphologies that are the structural building blocks of neural circuits. The traditional method to capture these morphological structures using manual reconstructions is time-consuming and partly subjective, so it appears important to develop automatic or semi-automatic methods to reconstruct neurons. Here we introduce a fast algorithm for tracking neural morphologies in 3D with simultaneous detection of branching processes. The method is based on existing tracking procedures, adding the machine vision technique of multi-scaling. Starting from a seed point, our algorithm tracks axonal or dendritic arbors within a sphere of a variable radius, then moves the sphere center to the point on its surface with the shortest Dijkstra path, detects branching points on the surface of the sphere, scales it until branches are well separated and then continues tracking each branch. We evaluate the performance of our algorithm on preprocessed data stacks obtained by manual reconstructions of neural cells, corrupted with different levels of artificial noise, and unprocessed data sets, achieving 90% precision and 81% recall in branch detection. We also discuss limitations of our method, such as reconstructing highly overlapping neural processes, and suggest possible improvements. Multi-scaling techniques, well suited to detect branching structures, appear a promising strategy for automatic neuronal reconstructions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Choromanska
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University New York, NY, USA
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25
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Hogrebe L, Paiva AR, Jurrus E, Christensen C, Bridge M, Dai L, Pfeiffer R, Hof PR, Roysam B, Korenberg JR, Tasdizen T. Serial section registration of axonal confocal microscopy datasets for long-range neural circuit reconstruction. J Neurosci Methods 2012; 207:200-10. [PMID: 22465678 PMCID: PMC4981587 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2012.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2011] [Revised: 03/02/2012] [Accepted: 03/15/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In the context of long-range digital neural circuit reconstruction, this paper investigates an approach for registering axons across histological serial sections. Tracing distinctly labeled axons over large distances allows neuroscientists to study very explicit relationships between the brain's complex interconnects and, for example, diseases or aberrant development. Large scale histological analysis requires, however, that the tissue be cut into sections. In immunohistochemical studies thin sections are easily distorted due to the cutting, preparation, and slide mounting processes. In this work we target the registration of thin serial sections containing axons. Sections are first traced to extract axon centerlines, and these traces are used to define registration landmarks where they intersect section boundaries. The trace data also provides distinguishing information regarding an axon's size and orientation within a section. We propose the use of these features when pairing axons across sections in addition to utilizing the spatial relationships among the landmarks. The global rotation and translation of an unregistered section are accounted for using a random sample consensus (RANSAC) based technique. An iterative nonrigid refinement process using B-spline warping is then used to reconnect axons and produce the sought after connectivity information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Hogrebe
- Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, UT, United States
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Utah, UT, United States
| | - Antonio R.C. Paiva
- Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, UT, United States
| | - Elizabeth Jurrus
- Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, UT, United States
- School of Computing, University of Utah, UT, United States
| | - Cameron Christensen
- Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, UT, United States
| | | | - Li Dai
- Brain Institute, University of Utah, UT, United States
- Center for the Integration of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of Utah, UT, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, UT, United States
| | - Rebecca Pfeiffer
- Brain Institute, University of Utah, UT, United States
- Neuroscience Program, University of Utah, UT, United States
- Center for the Integration of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of Utah, UT, United States
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NY, United States
| | - Badrinath Roysam
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Houston, TX, United States
| | | | - Tolga Tasdizen
- Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, UT, United States
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Utah, UT, United States
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26
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Halavi M, Hamilton KA, Parekh R, Ascoli GA. Digital reconstructions of neuronal morphology: three decades of research trends. Front Neurosci 2012; 6:49. [PMID: 22536169 PMCID: PMC3332236 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2012.00049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2012] [Accepted: 03/02/2012] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The importance of neuronal morphology has been recognized from the early days of neuroscience. Elucidating the functional roles of axonal and dendritic arbors in synaptic integration, signal transmission, network connectivity, and circuit dynamics requires quantitative analyses of digital three-dimensional reconstructions. We extensively searched the scientific literature for all original reports describing reconstructions of neuronal morphology since the advent of this technique three decades ago. From almost 50,000 titles, 30,000 abstracts, and more than 10,000 full-text articles, we identified 902 publications describing ∼44,000 digital reconstructions. Reviewing the growth of this field exposed general research trends on specific animal species, brain regions, neuron types, and experimental approaches. The entire bibliography, annotated with relevant metadata and (wherever available) direct links to the underlying digital data, is accessible at NeuroMorpho.Org.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Halavi
- Molecular Neuroscience Department, Center for Neural Informatics, Structures, and Plasticity, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University Fairfax, VA, USA
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27
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Myatt DR, Hadlington T, Ascoli GA, Nasuto SJ. Neuromantic - from semi-manual to semi-automatic reconstruction of neuron morphology. Front Neuroinform 2012; 6:4. [PMID: 22438842 PMCID: PMC3305991 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2012.00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2011] [Accepted: 02/20/2012] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to create accurate geometric models of neuronal morphology is important for understanding the role of shape in information processing. Despite a significant amount of research on automating neuron reconstructions from image stacks obtained via microscopy, in practice most data are still collected manually. This paper describes Neuromantic, an open source system for three dimensional digital tracing of neurites. Neuromantic reconstructions are comparable in quality to those of existing commercial and freeware systems while balancing speed and accuracy of manual reconstruction. The combination of semi-automatic tracing, intuitive editing, and ability of visualizing large image stacks on standard computing platforms provides a versatile tool that can help address the reconstructions availability bottleneck. Practical considerations for reducing the computational time and space requirements of the extended algorithm are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren R Myatt
- School of Systems Engineering, University of Reading Reading, UK
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28
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Brown KM, Barrionuevo G, Canty AJ, De Paola V, Hirsch JA, Jefferis GSXE, Lu J, Snippe M, Sugihara I, Ascoli GA. The DIADEM data sets: representative light microscopy images of neuronal morphology to advance automation of digital reconstructions. Neuroinformatics 2011; 9:143-57. [PMID: 21249531 PMCID: PMC4342109 DOI: 10.1007/s12021-010-9095-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The comprehensive characterization of neuronal morphology requires tracing extensive axonal and dendritic arbors imaged with light microscopy into digital reconstructions. Considerable effort is ongoing to automate this greatly labor-intensive and currently rate-determining process. Experimental data in the form of manually traced digital reconstructions and corresponding image stacks play a vital role in developing increasingly more powerful reconstruction algorithms. The DIADEM challenge (short for DIgital reconstruction of Axonal and DEndritic Morphology) successfully stimulated progress in this area by utilizing six data set collections from different animal species, brain regions, neuron types, and visualization methods. The original research projects that provided these data are representative of the diverse scientific questions addressed in this field. At the same time, these data provide a benchmark for the types of demands automated software must meet to achieve the quality of manual reconstructions while minimizing human involvement. The DIADEM data underwent extensive curation, including quality control, metadata annotation, and format standardization, to focus the challenge on the most substantial technical obstacles. This data set package is now freely released ( http://diademchallenge.org ) to train, test, and aid development of automated reconstruction algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry M. Brown
- Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Germán Barrionuevo
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Alison J. Canty
- MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Judith A. Hirsch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Ju Lu
- Department of Biological Sciences, James H. Clark Center for Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Marjolein Snippe
- MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Izumi Sugihara
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Giorgio A. Ascoli
- Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
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