Eagle-449: A volumetric, whole-brain compilation of brain atlases for vestibular functional MRI research

Abstract

Human vestibular processing involves distributed networks of cortical and subcortical regions which perform sensory and multimodal integrative functions. These functional hubs are also interconnected with areas subserving cognitive, affective, and body-representative domains. Analysis of these diverse components of the vestibular and vestibular-associated networks, and synthesis of their holistic functioning, is therefore vital to our understanding of the genesis of vestibular dysfunctions and aid treatment development. Novel neuroimaging methodologies, including functional and structural connectivity analyses, have provided important contributions in this area, but often require the use of atlases which are comprised of well-defined a priori regions of interest. Investigating vestibular dysfunction requires a more detailed atlas that encompasses cortical, subcortical, cerebellar, and brainstem regions. The present paper represents an effort to establish a compilation of existing, peer-reviewed brain atlases which collectively afford comprehensive coverage of these regions while explicitly focusing on vestibular substrates. It is expected that this compilation will be iteratively improved with additional contributions from researchers in the field.

Vestibular dysfunction and its association with cognitive impairment and dementia

“…However, because of the distributed networks of cortical and subcortical regions involved in human vestibular processing, an anatomical identification of the hubs that conform this network is the first step to perform correct neuroimaging approaches in this field. Is in this context, Smith et al (2023) , established a compilation of existing, peer-reviewed brain atlases which collectively afford comprehensive coverage of these regions while explicitly focusing on vestibular substrates. The atlas was denoted Eagle-449 to indicate that it included 449 regions of interest related with six parcelations: anatomical cortical parcellation (Atlas A1), structural-functional cortical parcellation (Atlas A2), cerebellar anatomical parcellation (Atlas A3), thalamus parcellation (Atlas B1), brainstem and diencephalon (Atlases B2 and B3) and anatomical hypothalamus parcellation (Atlas B4) ( Smith et al, 2023 ).…”

“…Is in this context, Smith et al (2023) , established a compilation of existing, peer-reviewed brain atlases which collectively afford comprehensive coverage of these regions while explicitly focusing on vestibular substrates. The atlas was denoted Eagle-449 to indicate that it included 449 regions of interest related with six parcelations: anatomical cortical parcellation (Atlas A1), structural-functional cortical parcellation (Atlas A2), cerebellar anatomical parcellation (Atlas A3), thalamus parcellation (Atlas B1), brainstem and diencephalon (Atlases B2 and B3) and anatomical hypothalamus parcellation (Atlas B4) ( Smith et al, 2023 ). Although imaging methods are the most relevant for detecting structural changes in the brain (in this particular case, due to peripheral vestibular deprivation), they also have certain limitation, which may underestimate or overestimate small hippocampal volumes.…”

Vestibular Function is Associated with Prefrontal and Sensorimotor Cortical Gray Matter Volumes in a Cross-Sectional Study of Healthy, Older Adults

“…While this cross-sectional study helps to clarify the relationships between vestibular function and cortical regions of interest, subsequent longitudinal studies will be needed to elucidate how vestibular function may over time impact the structure of brain regions that receive vestibular input: the limbic system, temporo-parietal junction, and frontal cortex. To gain new insights into vestibular associations with human anatomy, future work will involve utilizing peer-reviewed cytoarchitectonic atlases, such as the Julich atlas, 81 which also comprises a portion of the Eagle-449 composite atlas for vestibular research, 82 or a parcellationbased approach. 83 Future work will also incorporate sensitive measures of local structure change, like cortical thickness and shape, which complement gross volume measures, as well as measures of microstructural change gleaned from diffusion MRI.…”