Surface mapping brain function on 3D models

Abstract

A flexible graphics system for displaying functional and anatomic data on arbitrary collections of surfaces on or within the brain is presented. The system makes it possible to show complex, convoluted surfaces with the shading cues necessary to understand their shapes; to vary viewpoint, object position, illumination, and perspective easily; to show multiple-objects in one view, with or without transparency, in order to examine internal surfaces and intersecting objects in relation to each other; and to superimpose quantitative information on biological or otherwise defined surfaces anywhere within the volume, thus furthering understanding of both quantitative and positional information in its global context. These display techniques are applied to a new form of biological surface model, the removed surface. The surface-removal method creates a set of surfaces internal to a given object, so that, given a specified distance, every point on the created surfaces is equidistant from the surface of the enclosing object. The method is based on thresholding a derived scalar field, the minimum distance field. Models made by this method have applications in 3-D neurobiology and provide an alternative to cutaways for viewing patterns of internal functional activity.