Hippocampal Subfield Segmentation
Hippocampal Subfield Segmentation - Related Videos
11:03
High-resolution In Vivo Manual Segmentation Protocol for Human Hippocampal Subfields Using 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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Cited by 9 •
2015
The goal of this manuscript is to study the hippocampus and hippocampal subfields using MRI. The manuscript describes a protocol for segmenting the hippocampus and five hippocampal substructures: cornu ammonis (CA) 1, CA2/CA3, CA4/dentate gyrus, strata radiatum/lacunosum/moleculare, and subiculum.
13:50
Post-embedding Immunogold Labeling of Synaptic Proteins in Hippocampal Slice Cultures
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Cited by 13 •
2013
The localization and distribution of proteins provide important information for understanding their cellular functions. The superior spatial resolution of electron microscopy (EM) can be used to determine the subcellular localization of a given antigen following immunohistochemistry. For tissues of the central nervous system (CNS), preserving structural integrity while maintaining antigenicity has been especially difficult in EM studies. Here, we adopt a procedure that has been used to preserve...
06:53
Use of Primary Cultured Hippocampal Neurons to Study the Assembly of Axon Initial Segments
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Cited by 1 •
2021
Here, we described a protocol to quantitatively study the assembly and structure of the axon initial segments (AIS) of hippocampal neurons that lack pre-assembled AIS due to the absence of a giant ankyrin-G.
08:20
Organotypic Hippocampal Slice Cultures
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Cited by 52 •
2011
We describe a method to prepare organotypic hippocampal slices that can be easily adapted to other brain regions. Brain slices are laid on porous membranes and culture media is allowed to form an interface. This method preserves the gross architecture of the hippocampus for up to 2 weeks in culture.
12:30
A Comprehensive Protocol for Manual Segmentation of the Medial Temporal Lobe Structures
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Cited by 33 •
2014
The present work provides a comprehensive set of guidelines for manually tracing the medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures. This protocol can be applied to research involving structural and/or combined structural-functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) investigations of the MTL, in both healthy and clinical groups.
FAQs
Segmentation distinguishes regions by examining their boundaries, shape, and tissue contrast in high-resolution structural MRI. These features help separate areas such as CA1, CA2/3, the dentate gyrus, and the subiculum rather than treating the hippocampus as one uniform structure. Accurate regional delineation is important because subtle changes may occur in one subfield without producing an obvious change across the entire hippocampus.
Separate analysis preserves anatomical differences that whole-hippocampus measurements can conceal. Regional measurements allow researchers to examine whether structural variation is localized to CA1, CA2/3, the dentate gyrus, the subiculum, or another subfield. This finer resolution supports more specific investigations of how hippocampal structure relates to memory, learning, aging, and neurological or psychiatric disorders.
Anatomical atlases provide reference information for identifying and separating hippocampal regions according to expected boundaries and structural organization. They can support manual delineation or automated procedures, helping researchers apply a consistent regional framework across images. The resulting measurements are more informative when subfield labels correspond to recognizable anatomical regions rather than relying only on an undifferentiated hippocampal volume.
Whole-hippocampus measurement produces an overall structural estimate, whereas subfield segmentation preserves information about individual regions. This distinction matters when changes are small, unevenly distributed, or specific to one anatomical area. By examining subfields separately, researchers can detect patterns that might be obscured after regional differences are combined into a single hippocampal measurement.
A typical workflow uses high-resolution structural magnetic resonance images, identifies the hippocampal region, and delineates its internal subfields according to anatomical boundaries, shape, and tissue contrast. Researchers may perform this delineation manually or use an automated approach supported by an anatomical atlas. The resulting regional measurements can then be compared across participants, conditions, or time points.
The overview supports two broad approaches: manual delineation and automated delineation. Manual tracing applies anatomical judgment directly to image boundaries, while automated processing uses a defined procedure to identify regions. Both approaches serve the same measurement goal, but the selected approach determines how subfield boundaries are represented and how efficiently regional data can be generated for neuroscience studies.
Repeated regional measurements can support longitudinal research by allowing investigators to examine changes in specific hippocampal subfields over time. This approach is useful when overall hippocampal size does not show the full pattern of structural change. Subfield-level tracking can therefore help characterize anatomical trajectories related to aging, memory and learning, or neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Researchers use the measurements to link regional hippocampal structure with memory and learning, as well as with aging and neurological or psychiatric disorders. Because the data distinguish CA1, CA2/3, the dentate gyrus, and the subiculum, analyses can test whether particular anatomical regions show different relationships to these outcomes. The measurements also support comparisons across studies and longitudinal designs.