Quantitative characterization of age-related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres: A novel “contour smoothing” fractal analysis method
Background: Quantitatively assessing age-related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres remains a crucial challenge, particularly in distinguishing between normal and pathological brain atrophy caused by neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we introduced a new fractal analysis algorithm, ref...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Translational Research in Anatomy |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214854X23000328 |
| _version_ | 1797630966011789312 |
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| author | Nataliia Maryenko Oleksandr Stepanenko |
| author_facet | Nataliia Maryenko Oleksandr Stepanenko |
| author_sort | Nataliia Maryenko |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Quantitatively assessing age-related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres remains a crucial challenge, particularly in distinguishing between normal and pathological brain atrophy caused by neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we introduced a new fractal analysis algorithm, referred to as the “contour smoothing” method, to quantitatively characterize age-related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres. Materials and methods: MRI scans from 100 healthy individuals (44 males, 56 females), aged 18–86 (mean age 41.72 ± 1.58), were analyzed. We used two fractal analysis methods: the novel “contour smoothing” method (with stages: 1–6, 1–5, 2–6, 1–4, 2–5) and the classical “box-counting” method to assess cerebral cortex pial surface contours. Results: Fractal dimensions obtained using the “box-counting” method showed weak or statistically insignificant correlations with age. Conversely, fractal dimensions derived from the “contour smoothing” method exhibited significant age-related correlations. The “contour smoothing” method with 1–4 stages proved more suitable for quantifying atrophic changes. The average fractal dimension for 1–4 coronal sections was 1.402 ± 0.005 (minimum 1.266, maximum 1.490), and for all five tomographic sections, it was 1.415 ± 0.004 (minimum 1.278, maximum 1.514). These fractal dimensions exhibited the strongest correlations with age: r = −0.709 (p < 0.001) and r = −0.669 (p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: The “contour smoothing” fractal analysis method introduced in this study can effectively examine cerebral hemispheres to detect and quantify age-related atrophic changes associated with normal or pathological aging. This method holds promise for clinical application in diagnosing neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:15:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4dc22e99e49f42019bdf3ec1fb5d00d3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2214-854X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:15:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Translational Research in Anatomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-4dc22e99e49f42019bdf3ec1fb5d00d32023-11-11T04:28:06ZengElsevierTranslational Research in Anatomy2214-854X2023-11-0133100263Quantitative characterization of age-related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres: A novel “contour smoothing” fractal analysis methodNataliia Maryenko0Oleksandr Stepanenko1Corresponding author. Department of Histology, Cytology and Embryology, Kharkiv National Medical University, Kharkiv, 4 Nauky avenue, 61022, Ukraine.; Department of Histology, Cytology and Embryology, Kharkiv National Medical University, Kharkiv, UkraineDepartment of Histology, Cytology and Embryology, Kharkiv National Medical University, Kharkiv, UkraineBackground: Quantitatively assessing age-related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres remains a crucial challenge, particularly in distinguishing between normal and pathological brain atrophy caused by neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we introduced a new fractal analysis algorithm, referred to as the “contour smoothing” method, to quantitatively characterize age-related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres. Materials and methods: MRI scans from 100 healthy individuals (44 males, 56 females), aged 18–86 (mean age 41.72 ± 1.58), were analyzed. We used two fractal analysis methods: the novel “contour smoothing” method (with stages: 1–6, 1–5, 2–6, 1–4, 2–5) and the classical “box-counting” method to assess cerebral cortex pial surface contours. Results: Fractal dimensions obtained using the “box-counting” method showed weak or statistically insignificant correlations with age. Conversely, fractal dimensions derived from the “contour smoothing” method exhibited significant age-related correlations. The “contour smoothing” method with 1–4 stages proved more suitable for quantifying atrophic changes. The average fractal dimension for 1–4 coronal sections was 1.402 ± 0.005 (minimum 1.266, maximum 1.490), and for all five tomographic sections, it was 1.415 ± 0.004 (minimum 1.278, maximum 1.514). These fractal dimensions exhibited the strongest correlations with age: r = −0.709 (p < 0.001) and r = −0.669 (p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: The “contour smoothing” fractal analysis method introduced in this study can effectively examine cerebral hemispheres to detect and quantify age-related atrophic changes associated with normal or pathological aging. This method holds promise for clinical application in diagnosing neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214854X23000328AgingCerebral hemispheresFractal analysisMorphometryMRINeuroimaging |
| spellingShingle | Nataliia Maryenko Oleksandr Stepanenko Quantitative characterization of age-related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres: A novel “contour smoothing” fractal analysis method Translational Research in Anatomy Aging Cerebral hemispheres Fractal analysis Morphometry MRI Neuroimaging |
| title | Quantitative characterization of age-related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres: A novel “contour smoothing” fractal analysis method |
| title_full | Quantitative characterization of age-related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres: A novel “contour smoothing” fractal analysis method |
| title_fullStr | Quantitative characterization of age-related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres: A novel “contour smoothing” fractal analysis method |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantitative characterization of age-related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres: A novel “contour smoothing” fractal analysis method |
| title_short | Quantitative characterization of age-related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres: A novel “contour smoothing” fractal analysis method |
| title_sort | quantitative characterization of age related atrophic changes in cerebral hemispheres a novel contour smoothing fractal analysis method |
| topic | Aging Cerebral hemispheres Fractal analysis Morphometry MRI Neuroimaging |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214854X23000328 |
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