POSTMORTEM CRYOSECTIONING AS AN ANATOMIC REFERENCE FOR HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING

This study examined the densitometric and topographic detail of high r esolution 3D digital postmortem cryosectioned brain images. Anatomic i mage data and histology from cryosectioned human brain were compared t o in vivo MRI for the ability to delineate neuroanatomic structure. 3D surface reconstructions in the Talairach and Tournoux atlas (''Co-pla nar stereotaxic atlas of the human brain'', Thieme, New York, 1988) co ordinate system enabled morphometric comparisons for a representative sample of neuroanatomic structures. Spatial resolution of cryosection images averaged 200 and 170 microns/pixel for whole head and brain, re spectively, and 40 microns/pixel for isolated brain regions. Anatomic detail was far superior to MRI, particularly in deep subcortical regio ns such as the basal ganglia and in mesencephalic nuclei and tracts. D igital repositioning in the Talairach coordinate system enabled effici ent structure localization and morphometric comparison. Histology from collected tissue sections provided cytologic detail that could be map ped to its approximate 3D context. This approach permits comprehensive morphometric analyses necessary for an anatomic framework to a digita l atlas of the human brain. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.