TRMD 690 Seminar: “Longitudinal Processing of Brain MRI Data Using FreeSurfer Software”, Awapuhi Lee, TRMD MS Candidate

When

02/24/2021    
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Event Type

Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/94805199979
Call in: (669) 900-6833
Zoom ID: 948 0519 9979
Contact clum@hawaii.edu for passcode

Awapuhi Lee
M.S. Candidate
Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology
John A. Burns School of Medicine
University of Hawaii at Manoa


“Longitudinal Processing of Brain MRI Data Using FreeSurfer Software”

Despite effective antiretroviral therapy, neurocognitive impairment in HIV disease is a public health issue as it may affect 40-70% of HIV+ individuals. Brain atrophy that exceeds normal age-related volumetric loss has been associated with cognitive impairment in HIV. Using brain magnetic resonance imaging data from the Hawaiʻi Center for AIDS Cenicriviroc (CVC) and Maraviroc (MVC) studies, we aim to identify brain metabolites and peripheral blood inflammatory markers that may be cross-sectionally related to smaller brain volumes. Additionally, we will examine possible effects of CVC and MVC on brain volumetric change. To quantify brain atrophy, we utilize FreeSurfer, a software tool that segments gray and white matter and generates measures of brain morphometry (e.g., volumes of cortical and subcortical regions). FreeSurfer’s longitudinal processing method is divided into four steps: 1) processing each time point cross-sectionally; 2) creating an unbiased template from all time points; 3) processing each time point longitudinally; and 4) inspecting results and conducting statistical analyses.