Shailendra Segobin, Roy A. M. Haast, Vinod Jangir Kumar, Annalisa Lella, Anneke Alkemade, Meritxell Bach Cuadra, Emmanuel J. Barbeau, Olivier Felician, Giulio Pergola, Anne-Lise Pitel, Manojkumar Saranathan, Thomas Tourdias, Michael Hornberger
{"title":"A roadmap towards standardized neuroimaging approaches for human thalamic nuclei","authors":"Shailendra Segobin, Roy A. M. Haast, Vinod Jangir Kumar, Annalisa Lella, Anneke Alkemade, Meritxell Bach Cuadra, Emmanuel J. Barbeau, Olivier Felician, Giulio Pergola, Anne-Lise Pitel, Manojkumar Saranathan, Thomas Tourdias, Michael Hornberger","doi":"10.1038/s41583-024-00867-1","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>The thalamus has a key role in mediating cortical–subcortical interactions but is often neglected in neuroimaging studies, which mostly focus on changes in cortical structure and activity. One of the main reasons for the thalamus being overlooked is that the delineation of individual thalamic nuclei via neuroimaging remains controversial. Indeed, neuroimaging atlases vary substantially regarding which thalamic nuclei are included and how their delineations were established. Here, we review current and emerging methods for thalamic nuclei segmentation in neuroimaging data and consider the limitations of existing techniques in terms of their research and clinical applicability. We address these challenges by proposing a roadmap to improve thalamic nuclei segmentation in human neuroimaging and, in turn, harmonize research approaches and advance clinical applications. We believe that a collective effort is required to achieve this. We hope that this will ultimately lead to the thalamic nuclei being regarded as key brain regions in their own right and not (as often currently assumed) as simply a gateway between cortical and subcortical regions.</p>","PeriodicalId":19082,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":34.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nature Reviews Neuroscience","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-024-00867-1","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"Neuroscience","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The thalamus has a key role in mediating cortical–subcortical interactions but is often neglected in neuroimaging studies, which mostly focus on changes in cortical structure and activity. One of the main reasons for the thalamus being overlooked is that the delineation of individual thalamic nuclei via neuroimaging remains controversial. Indeed, neuroimaging atlases vary substantially regarding which thalamic nuclei are included and how their delineations were established. Here, we review current and emerging methods for thalamic nuclei segmentation in neuroimaging data and consider the limitations of existing techniques in terms of their research and clinical applicability. We address these challenges by proposing a roadmap to improve thalamic nuclei segmentation in human neuroimaging and, in turn, harmonize research approaches and advance clinical applications. We believe that a collective effort is required to achieve this. We hope that this will ultimately lead to the thalamic nuclei being regarded as key brain regions in their own right and not (as often currently assumed) as simply a gateway between cortical and subcortical regions.
期刊介绍:
Nature Reviews Neuroscience is a journal that is part of the Nature Reviews portfolio. It focuses on the multidisciplinary science of neuroscience, which aims to provide a complete understanding of the structure and function of the central nervous system. Advances in molecular, developmental, and cognitive neuroscience have made it possible to tackle longstanding neurobiological questions. However, the wealth of knowledge generated by these advancements has created a need for new tools to organize and communicate this information efficiently. Nature Reviews Neuroscience aims to fulfill this need by offering an authoritative, accessible, topical, and engaging resource for scientists interested in all aspects of neuroscience. The journal covers subjects such as cellular and molecular neuroscience, development of the nervous system, sensory and motor systems, behavior, regulatory systems, higher cognition and language, computational neuroscience, and disorders of the brain. Editorial decisions for the journal are made by a team of full-time professional editors who are PhD-level scientists.