Stereotactic Cortical Atlas of the Domestic Canine Brain

Philippa J. Johnson, Wen-Ming Luh, Benjamin C. Rivard, Kathleen L. Graham, Andrew White, Marnie Fitz, Maurice, John P. Loftus & Erica F. Barry

Background
The domestic canine (Canis familiaris) has gained prominence as a model in neurocognitive and comparative neuroscience due to its sociocognitive similarities to humans, ability to undergo non-invasive procedures like fMRI, and a gyrencephalic brain structure similar to humans. However, the lack of a detailed, standardized cortical brain atlas has limited advanced imaging analysis and interspecies comparisons. This study aims to create a comprehensive MRI-based cortical atlas of the canine brain using myeloarchitectonic parcellation.

Methods
The study recruited 30 neurologically and clinically normal, non-brachycephalic dogs to generate a high-resolution T1-weighted MRI-based population template. Data processing included tissue segmentation into gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid using automated tools. Myeloarchitectonic cortical parcellation was guided by historical atlases, particularly Jerzy Kreiner's work. Compatibility with various skull shapes (mesaticephalic, dolichocephalic, and brachycephalic) was tested using Jaccard similarity and Jacobian warping metrics.

Results

-A cortical atlas containing 234 parcellated regions across seven lobes (frontal, parietal, sensorimotor, temporal, occipital, cingular, and subcortical) was created.

-Non-linear registration showed high similarity across skull conformations but required significant warping in brachycephalic shapes.

The atlas provides detailed neuroanatomical parcellations aligned with common neuroimaging tools like FSL and ANTs, supporting advanced data processing.

Limitations
The atlas excludes brachycephalic dogs in its template cohort, limiting its use for these breeds without significant data transformation. Functional and connectivity data were not utilized due to insufficient available information in canines.

Conclusions
This cortical atlas standardizes canine neuroimaging research, enabling improved localization and structural-functional correlation. It is particularly suitable for non-brachycephalic canines and offers a robust tool for comparative neuroscience and translational research.

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