Lacy Rainey

Bio: Lacy Rainey is an academic researcher from University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The author has contributed to research in topics: Database server & Daemon. The author has an hindex of 6, co-authored 6 publications receiving 4395 citations. Previous affiliations of Lacy Rainey include University of Texas at San Antonio.

Automated Talairach Atlas labels for functional brain mapping

Abstract: An automated coordinate-based system to retrieve brain labels from the 1988 Talairach Atlas, called the Talairach Daemon (TD), was previously introduced (Lancaster et al., 1997). In the present study, the TD system and its 3-D database of labels for the 1988 Talairach atlas were tested for labeling of functional activation foci. TD system labels were compared with author-designated labels of activation coordinates from over 250 published functional brain-mapping studies and with manual atlas-derived labels from an expert group using a subset of these activation coordinates. Automated labeling by the TD system compared well with authors' labels, with a 70% or greater label match averaged over all locations. Author-label matching improved to greater than 90% within a search range of 65 mm for most sites. An adaptive grey matter (GM) range-search utility was evaluated using individual activations from the M1 mouth region (30 subjects, 52 sites). It provided an 87% label match to Brodmann area labels (B A4&B A 6) within a search range of 65 mm. Using the adaptive GM range search, the TD system's overall match with authors' labels (90%) was better than that of the expert group (80%). When used in concert with authors' deeper knowledge of an experiment, the TD system provides consistent and comprehensive labels for brain activation foci. Additional suggested applications of the TD system include interactive labeling, anatomical grouping of activation foci, lesion-deficit analysis, and neuroanatomy education. Hum. Brain Mapping 10:120 -131, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Automated labeling of the human brain: A preliminary report on the development and evaluation of a forward-transform method

Abstract: A forward-transform method for retrieving brain labels from the 1988 Talairach Atlas using x-y-z coordinates is presented. A hierarchical volume-occupancy labeling scheme was created to simplify the organization of atlas labels using volume and subvolumetric components. Segmentation rules were developed to define boundaries that were not given explicitly in the atlas. The labeling scheme and segmentation rules guided the segmentation and labeling of 160 contiguous regions within the atlas. A unique three-dimensional (3-D) database label server called the Talairach Daemon (http://ric.uthscsa.edu/projects) was developed for serving labels keyed to the Talairach coordinate system. Given an x-y-z Talairach coordinate, a corresponding hierarchical listing of labels is returned by the server. The accuracy and precision of the forward-transform labeling method is now under evaluation.

Amygdalar and hippocampal volumetry in control participants: differences regarding handedness.

Abstract: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Amygdalar and hippocampal volume measurements indicate a right-greater-than-left asymmetry for right-handed normal participants in most studies. The purpose of this study was to compare amygdalar and hippocampal volume ratios between right- and left-handed participants. METHODS: Amygdalar and hippocampal volume measurements were performed in 34 (20 right-handed and 14 left-handed) normal participants. All participants completed a 10-item handedness questionnaire. The MR imaging sequence was a 3D T1-weighted gradient-echo acquisition of the whole brain (24/6 [TR/TE]; flip angle, 25 degrees). MR images were spatially normalized, and volumes were painted with a 1.0-mm3 resolution cursor on an SGI workstation. RESULTS: In right-handed participants, the amygdala and hippocampus (P , .001 for both) were significantly larger on the right side than on the left. The left-handed group did not show a significant difference between right- and left-sided structures. Right-to-left volume ratios differed significantly between right- and left-handed participants for both amygdalar (P , .02) and hippocampal (P , .01) structures. Gender did not affect right-to-left amygdalar and hippocampal volume ratios in right- or left-handed participants. CONCLUSION: Handedness, but not gender, seems to affect right-to-left amygdalar and hippocampal volume ratios.

Conn: A Functional Connectivity Toolbox for Correlated and Anticorrelated Brain Networks

Abstract: Resting state functional connectivity reveals intrinsic, spontaneous networks that elucidate the functional architecture of the human brain. However, valid statistical analysis used to identify such networks must address sources of noise in order to avoid possible confounds such as spurious correlations based on non-neuronal sources. We have developed a functional connectivity toolbox Conn (www.nitrc.org/projects/conn) that implements the component-based noise correction method (CompCor) strategy for physiological and other noise source reduction, additional removal of movement, and temporal covariates, temporal filtering and windowing of the residual blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) contrast signal, first-level estimation of multiple standard functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) measures, and second-level random-effect analysis for resting state as well as task-related data. Compared to methods that rely on global signal regression, the CompCor noise reduction method all...