Concurrent Volume Visualization of Real-Time fMRI

Abstract
We present a novel approach to interactive and concurrent volume visualization of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). While the patient is in the scanner, data is extracted in real-time using state-of-the-art signal processing techniques. The fMRI signal is treated as light emission when rendering a patient-specific high resolution reference MRI volume, obtained at the beginning of the experiment. As a result, the brain glows and emits light from active regions. The low resolution fMRI signal is thus effectively fused with the reference brain with the current transfer function settings yielding an effective focus and context visualization. The delay from a change in the fMRI signal to the visualization is approximately 2 seconds. The advantage of our method over standard 2D slice based methods is shown in a user study. We demonstrate our technique through experiments providing interactive visualization to the fMRI operator and also to the test subject in the scanner through a head mounted display.
Description

        
@inproceedings{
:10.2312/VG/VG10/053-060
, booktitle = {
IEEE/ EG Symposium on Volume Graphics
}, editor = {
Ruediger Westermann and Gordon Kindlmann
}, title = {{
Concurrent Volume Visualization of Real-Time fMRI
}}, author = {
Nguyen, Tan Khoa
and
Eklund, Anders
and
Ohlsson, Henrik
and
Hernell, Frida
and
Ljung, Patric
and
Forsell, Camilla
and
Andersson, Mats
and
Knutsson, Hans
and
Ynnerman, Anders
}, year = {
2010
}, publisher = {
The Eurographics Association
}, ISSN = {
1727-8376
}, ISBN = {
978-3-905674-23-1
}, DOI = {
/10.2312/VG/VG10/053-060
} }
Citation