New MRI morphometric norms of the human brain!
Updated: Feb 20, 2021
We have recently submitted for publication NOMIS, our new open-access tool, which allows researchers to assess morphometric deviations of magnetic resonance (MRI) markers from normality in the adult human brain. Specifically, NOMIS helps in the comparison of more than 1,000 Freesurfer measures like volumes and cortical thicknesses to a database of nearly 7,000 cognitively healthy individuals aged 18-100 years. NOMIS takes into account characteristics from the individual (age, sex, head size), the scanner itself (manufacturer and magnetic field strength, resolution), as well as image quality. NOMIS generates Z-score effect sizes denoting the extent of deviation from the normative sample. Depending on the user need, NOMIS offers four versions of Z-score adjusted on different sets of variables. While all versions take into account head size, image quality and scanner characteristics, they can also incorporate age and/or sex, thereby facilitating multi-site neuromorphometric research across adulthood.
Full details are available in the preprint:
The NOMIS tool can be downloaded here: https://github.com/medicslab/NOMIS
Example of NOMIS norms on a clinical group showing reduced volumes and cortical thicknesses when compared to our cognitively healthy reference population.