SPATIAL AND STRUCTURAL COMPLEXITY OF CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES IN MALE AND FEMALE BRAIN: FRACTAL AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSES OF MRI BRAIN SCANS

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31051/1852.8023.v15.n3.43151

Keywords:

cerebrum, fractal dimension, gender, neuroimaging

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to compare the features of the structural complexity of the cerebral hemispheres in men and women using fractal analysis of outlined and skeletonized images, as well as quantitative analysis of digital skeletons of the cerebral hemispheres. Material and Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging brain scans of 100 individuals aged 18-86 years (44 males and 56 females) were investigated. Five tomographic sections of each brain were selected for morphometric study (4 coronal and 1 axial sections). The sections were preprocessed, and outlined and skeletonized images were obtained. Fractal analysis was conducted using the two-dimensional box counting method, and fractal dimensions of outlined and skeletonized images were determined. Additionally, quantitative analysis of skeletonized images was performed, determining the following parameters: branches, junctions, end-point voxels, junction voxels, slab voxels, triple points, quadruple points, average branch length, and maximum branch length. Results: We observed that both variants of fractal dimension in males and females did not show significant differences, although most quantitative parameters in males were larger than those in females. Conclusions: The spatial and structural complexity of the cerebral hemispheres, as characterized by fractal dimensions, is almost indistinguishable between males and females. However, in some individual tomographic sections, the male brain may exhibit a slightly higher number of end-point voxels, corresponding to the gyri of the cerebral hemispheres. The obtained data can be used in clinical practice for diagnostic purposes (e.g., for detecting malformations) and for theoretical studies in neuroanatomy.

Author Biographies

  • Nataliia Maryenko, Kharkiv National Medical University, Department of Histology, Cytology and Embryology

    PhD, ScD candidate of the Department of Histology, Cytology and Embryology, Kharkiv National Medical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine

  • Oleksandr Stepanenko, Kharkiv National Medical University, Department of Histology, Cytology and Embryology

    PhD, ScD, Professor, Head of the Department of Histology, Cytology and Embryology, Kharkiv National Medical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine

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Published

2023-12-03

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Original Communications

How to Cite

SPATIAL AND STRUCTURAL COMPLEXITY OF CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES IN MALE AND FEMALE BRAIN: FRACTAL AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSES OF MRI BRAIN SCANS. (2023). Revista Argentina De Anatomía Clínica (Argentine Journal of Clinical Anatomy), 15(3), 107-116. https://doi.org/10.31051/1852.8023.v15.n3.43151