Three-dimensional fractal analysis of the white matter surface from magnetic resonance images of the human brain

Abstract

The convolutions of the cerebral cortex are difficult to describe and delineate. Our understanding of the development of the bruin and its associated maldevelopment would be assisted by quantitative analysis of the cortex. Volumetric magnetic resonance (MR) imaging provides high-resolution anatomical data from which we can reconstruct the white matter as a three- dimensional object and extract its surface (the grey/white matter interface). Three-dimensional fractal analysis of this surface is a method of quantifying the surface complexity dependant upon the variation of the surface area under different scales of inspection. We estimate the fractal dimension of the white matter surface for ea..