Pediatric Brain Templates
The Imaging Research Center has collected brain imaging data from a large population of normal, healthy children. This data has been used to construct pediatric brain templates which can be used within SPM for spatial normalization, tissue segmentation and visualization of imaging study results.
The data has been processed and compiled in various ways to accommodate a wide range of possible research approaches. The templates are made available free of charge to all interested parties for research purposes only.
Why did we do this?
When processing imaging data from children, it is important to take into account the fact that the pediatric brain differs significantly from the adult brain. Therefore, optimized processing requires appropriate reference data be used because adult reference data will introduce a systematic bias into the results. We have shown that, in the in the case of spatial normalization, the amount of non-linear deformation is dramatically less when a pediatric template is used (left, see also HBM 2002; 17:48-60). We could also show that tissue composition is substantially different between adults and children, and more so the younger the children are (right, see also MRM 2003; 50:749-757). We thus believe that the use of pediatric reference data might be more appropriate. We have in the past compiled average templates (CCHMC pediatric brain templates) for use in SPM99 and now add the Template-O-Matic for use in SPM5 (bottom, see also Wilke et al., NeuroImage 2008, in press). This new toolbox allows to create a high-quality, matched template for a pediatric sample, based on the statistical analysis of a large, healthy pediatric reference population.
The data has been processed and compiled in various ways to accommodate a wide range of possible research approaches. While the templates and the toolbox are made available free of charge to all interested parties for research purposes only, we ask you to register before downloading.
