Defining and Measuring Cortical Thickness: Histology and MRI

Results • MRI data has been used for estimation of cortical thickness in vivo [Fischl 2000, Hutton 2008]. • The gray matter (GM) white matter (WM) boundary is strictly defined only by cytoarchitecture. • However, MRI contrast mostly derives from the presence of myelin, so that images show myeloarchitecture. • Investigation of brain sections stained alternately for myelin and neuronal cell bodies may provide detailed criteria for determining the GM-WM boundary from MR images.