The BigBrainWarp toolbox for integration of BigBrain 3D histology with multimodal neuroimaging
Casey Paquola, Jessica Royer, Lindsay B. Lewis, Claude Lepage, Tristan Glatard, Konrad Wagstyl, Jordan DeKraker, Paule-J Toussaint, Sofie L. Valk, D. Louis Collins, Ali R. Khan, Katrin Amunts, Alan C. Evans, Timo Dickscheid, Boris C. Bernhardt
Abstract
Neuroimaging stands to benefit from emerging ultrahigh-resolution 3D histological atlases of the human brain; the first of which is 'BigBrain'. Here, we review recent methodological advances for the integration of BigBrain with multi-modal neuroimaging and introduce a toolbox, 'BigBrainWarp', that combines these developments. The aim of BigBrainWarp is to simplify workflows and support the adoption of best practices. This is accomplished with a simple wrapper function that allows users to easily map data between BigBrain and standard MRI spaces. The function automatically pulls specialised transformation procedures, based on ongoing research from a wide collaborative network of researchers. Additionally, the toolbox improves accessibility of histological information through dissemination of ready-to-use cytoarchitectural features. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of BigBrainWarp with three tutorials and discuss the potential of the toolbox to support multi-scale investigations of brain organisation.