The fractal dimension of cerebral surfaces using magnetic resonance images

Abstract

The calculation of the fractal dimension of the surface bounded by the grey matter in the normal human brain using axial, sagittal, and coronal cross-sectional magnetic resonance (MR) images is presented. The fractal dimension in this case is a measure of the convolutedness of this cerebral surface. It is proposed that the fractal dimension, a feature that may be extracted from MR images, may potentially be used for image analysis, quantitative tissue characterization, and as a feature to monitor and identify cerebral abnormalities and developmental changes.