LONI Visualization
Environment
Ivo D. Dinov1,2, Daniel Valentino1,3, Bae
Cheol Shin1, Fotios Konstantinidis1, Guogang Hu1,
Allan MacKenzie-Graham1, Erh-
Fang Lee1, David Shattuck1, Jeff Ma1,
Craig Schwartz1 and Arthur W. Toga1
1Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Department of Neurology, 2Department
of Statistics, UCLA, Los Angeles,
CA 90095.
Correspondence:
Ivo D. Dinov
CCB, LONI
635 Charles Young Drive, Suite 225
UCLA
Los Angeles, CA 90095
E-mail: 
Tel. 310-825-8430
Fax: 310-206-5658
Abstract
Over the past decade the use of informatics to solve complex
neuroscientific problems has increased dramatically. Many of these
research endeavors involve examining large amounts of imaging,
behavioral, genetic, neurobiological and neuropsychiatric data.
Superimposing, processing, visualizing and
interpreting such a complex cohort of datasets frequently becomes a
challenge. We developed a new software environment that allows
investigators to integrate multi-modal imaging data, hierarchical brain
ontology systems, online genetic and phylogenic databases and 3D
virtual data reconstruction models. The Laboratory of Neuro Imaging
visualization environment (LONI Viz) consists of the following
components: a sectional viewer for imaging data, an interactive 3D
display for surface and volume
rendering of imaging data, a brain ontology viewer, and an external
database query system. The synchronization of all components according
to stereotaxic coordinates, region name, hierarchical ontology and
genetic labels is achieved via a comprehensive BrainMapper
functionality, which directly maps between position, structure name,
database and functional connectivity information. This environment is
freely available, portable and extensible and may prove very useful for
neurobiologists, neurogenetisists, brain mappers and for other
clinical, pedagogical and research endeavors.
Key Words: software,
ontology, brain, atlas, visualization, gene mapping