Semi-automated Anatomical Segmentation and Voxel-based Morphometry of Cranial Nerve Brainstem Nuclei from T1-w MR Images

The brainstem, despite its vital role in the nervous system, remains understudied compared to the cerebral cortex and cerebellum, largely due to its structural complexity and high anatomical variability. Currently, no fully standardized protocol exists for the complete anatomical segmentation of the brainstem. Our project aims to address this gap by developing a segmentation (manual and eventually automated) protocol specifically targeting the cranial nerve nuclei for CN-XII (hypoglossal nerve), CN-V (trigeminal nerve), and CN-VII (facial nerve) using T1-weighted MR images from 220 human subjects. While still in the early stages, this initiative seeks to provide more precise neuroanatomical insights into this critical region of the human nervous system enabling further studies concerned with swallowing, speech, and more.