Frontiers in Psychiatry (Apr 2014)

Do manual and voxel-based morphometry measure the same? – A proof of concept study

  • Niels K. Focke,
  • Niels K. Focke,
  • Sarah eTrost,
  • Walter ePaulus,
  • Peter eFalkai,
  • Oliver eGruber

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00039
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5

Abstract

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Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) is a commonly used method to study volumetric variations on a whole brain basis. However it is often criticised for potential confounds, mainly based on imperfect spatial registration. We therefore aimed to evaluate if VBM and gold-standard manual volumetry are measuring the same effects with respect to subcortical grey matter volumes. Manual regions-of-interest (ROIs) were drawn in the hippocampus, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, thalamus, putamen, pallidum and caudate nucleus bilaterally. Resulting volumes were used for a whole brain VBM correlation analysis with SPM8. The hippocampus, amygdala, putamen and caudate nucleus were correctly identified by SPM using the contemporary high-dimensional normalization (DARTEL toolbox). This strongly suggests that VBM and manual volumetry both are indeed measuring the same effects with regard to subcortical brain structures.

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