Structural MR image processing using the brains2 toolbox

Abstract Medical imaging has opened a new door into biomedical research. In order to study various diseases of the brain and detect their impact on brain structure, robust and user friendly image processing packages are required. These packages must be multi-faceted to distinguish variations in size, shape, volume, and the ability to detect longitudinal changes over the course of an illness. This paper describes the brains 2 image processing package, which contains both manual and automated tools for structural identification, methods for tissue classification and cortical surface generation. These features are described in detail, as well as the reliability of these procedures.