Spurred by the advent of in vivo imaging methods, computational anatomy, in particular the development of digital atlases, has emerged over the last decade as a major discipline in biomedical science, engaging diverse fields such as computer science, mathematics, signal processing, and statistics. This new field is greatly advancing medical research, basic biological science, and clinical practice. An atlas may be used as an instance of anatomy upon which teaching or surgical planning is based, a reference frame for understanding the normal and pathological variation of anatomy, a coordinate system for functional localization studies, and as a probabilistic space into which functional or structural features are mapped. Within the context of bioinformatics, the atlas serves as the mechanism through which novel sources of spatially indexed or image-based information may be linked with other databases in order that new relationships may be derived. In this chapter, we introduce the technology involved in constructing digital atlases, most notably image registration, and highlight some of the most promising applications in biomedicine, with particular focus on contemporary brain mapping research.

Brain mapping

One of the greatest challenges facing modern science has been the task of relating the functions of the mind to the structures of the brain. Success in this endeavor was long recognized as a prerequisite for both basic understanding and progress towards treatments for a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders.