Dear colleagues,

Imaging children is a challenge on different levels, not the least among
which is appropriate data processing (although many of us consider
getting the child into the scanner to be the hardest part :) Some years
ago, we investigated the impact of using pediatric reference data on
important processing steps within SPM, and provided the resulting CCHMC
pediatric brain templates for download. More than 200 research centers
all over the world have used this data (those of you who have no
business imaging children, you may still want to read on ;)

We are now happy and proud to announce what we consider a major and 
significant update: the SPM5-compatible Template-O-Matic toolbox, 
providing high-quality pediatric templates modeled upon your input sample!

The TOM toolbox takes a radically new approach towards providing
reference data, based on imaging data from the NIH study of normal brain
development (http://www.bic.mni.mcgill.ca/nihpd/info/). Using the
general linear model, we statistically isolate the influence of external
variables of interest on brain structure, allowing us to generate
high-quality matched templates for any given group of subjects. The
toolbox offers two options:

- one, to create pediatric templates (T1) and tissue maps (GM, WM, and
CSF) based on the objective 1 NIH data (n = 404), in the age range of
5-18 years (you will also have to download the regression parameters for
this), or

- two, to assess a new reference population with regard to your
variables of interest.

Of note, this approach is generally applicable and in no way restricted
to analyzing pediatric imaging data: for example, if you aim at
investigating the effects of aging in elderly subjects, the toolbox will
also allow you to create more appropriate reference data (if your group
is large enough to isolate such effects).

This toolbox is the result of a joint effort by the Department of
Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine (Marko Wilke, Tuebingen,
Germany), the Imaging Research Center (Scott Holland and Mekibib Altaye,
Cincinnati, OH, USA), and the Structural Brain Mapping Group (Christian
Gaser, Jena, Germany). The rationale, approach and further details are
available in a recent NeuroImage manuscript describing our efforts at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.02.056. Further information
is also available on the Structural Brain Mapping Group's website at
http://dbm.neuro.uni-jena.de/software/tom/

Following the tradition of the CCHMC templates, we make the software 
available free of charge on the Imaging Research Center’s website at 
http://irc.cchmc.org/ (click on Software, Pediatric Brain Templates). 
The website is being updated as you read this, so bear with us... You 
will be asked to complete a registration form before downloading but 
your contact information will not be shared with anyone. As usual, there 
are no guarantees whatsoever.

We are very excited about this new tool and hope that it will be of use
to those of you working with special populations for which the standard
templates may not be appropriate.

Looking forward to your feedback, and happy template-creating!
For the authors,
Marko

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Marko Wilke                                            (Dr.med./M.D.)
                 [log in to unmask]

Universitäts-Kinderklinik              University Children's Hospital
Abt. III (Neuropädiatrie)             Dept. III (Pediatric neurology)
             Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 1, D - 72076 Tübingen
Tel.: (+49) 07071 29-83416                   Fax: (+49) 07071 29-5473
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