MeCA

Methods and Computational Anatomy

MeCA is an interdisciplinary team born from a collaboration between the Institut de Neurosciences de La Timone and the Laboratoire des Sciences de l’Information et des Systèmes in Marseille, combining their expertise in fundamental and clinical neuroscience as well as data processing to better understand the organization and functioning of the normal and pathological brain.

Specifically, our scientific goal is the quantification and modeling of cortical variability and cortical development, and their links with white matter connectivity and the underlying functional organization at a macroscopic scale. To achieve this, we primarily use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on human subjects and non-human primates.

Our objectives are:

• To quantify and model cortical organization and variability.
• To quantify and model cortical development.
• To study the link between anatomy, function, and connectivity.
• To use cerebral morphometry in the context of “emergency” pathologies, such as cardiac arrests, strokes, or traumatic brain injuries, particularly to study their progression or predict their outcomes.
• To develop brain data analysis tools and apply them to large databases.

Behind these scientific and methodological objectives, our primary focus of interest is cortical folding, particularly cortical sulci, or specific anatomical markers within these sulci, such as sulcal pits or plis-de-passages.

The MeCA team collaborates with various groups and services, including several located on the Timone campus, such as the Marseille Functional MRI Center and the Neuroradiology Department of La Timone University Hospital.