My brain
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Volume Slicer Tool used: BrainBrowser.
Preamble
Over the last 5 years (from the time of writing this), I’ve been collecting MRI scans of my body, participating in several scientific studies to obtain them. This unusual hobby has led me to 3D print a life-size model of my brain from a 7T scan. It’s always a hit when I bring the model to various classes or scientific outreach events.
These scans serve two purposes for me: 1) They offer a glimpse into the idiosyncracies of my body. 2) They offer a useful baseline for future medical reference. This latter point is the most important one.
Most people undergo MRI scans only when health issues arise. Imagine a scenario where you start experiencing some supposed nerve-related back pain. If you were to go to the doctor amd get a diagnostic scan only at that point, the clinician may notice a disc bulge. This bulge would likely become the focus of attention. The doctor may advise you to undergo various treatments, some of which are quite invasive, such as surgery to remove the bulge - a solution that often provides only temporary relief. This is because when you remove the bulge, there is still a hole in the disc, allowing a new bulge to form.
Now this scenario isn’t just hypothetical. It was shared with me by a principal investigator who specializes in studying intervertebral disc degeneration. They described how they participated in their own studies for many decades and noticed the formation of a disc bulge. In some people this disc bulge could be a source of pain and discomfort they may be experiencing, however for them, they were completely asymptomatic.
Because they have records of previous scans, especially during times of general good health, showing the bulge existed even when they had no sympotoms, it changes the perspective. It doesn’t completely dismiss the bulge as a potential cause of any new pain, but it does encourage a more thorough consideration and analysis before reaching a diagnosis.
So if possible, try to collect your own scans, especially when you don’t necessarily need it. That said, interpret the scans with caution and always seek out a medical professional (or two) if there is any cause for concern.
My brain
For now, please enjoy 3D model reconstructions of my brain. The very first image is a cortical segmented model that was used to 3D print my brain. The remainder are various levels of segmentation.
Face (or at least most of it) and a skull stripped whole brain
Judging from the eyes in the left model, I may have been starting to fall asleep when I wasn’t supposed to. Also, I swear I have a mouth lol.
White matter, gray matter, and cerebrospinal fluid
White matter: Lies beneath the gray matter of the cortex and is composed predominantly of axons. Axons of neurons in white matter are coated with myelin, which is a fatty substance that helps increase the speed of signal transmission.
Gray matter: Generally the outer layer of the brain, but also found in the deeper brain regions called nuclei. Crucial for processing and interpreting information. Involved in many functions such as motor control, sensory perception, memory, emotions, speech, decision-making, self-control, etc.
Cerebrospinal fluid: Clear body fluid that is produced in the ventricles of the brain and flows around the central nervous system (both brain and spinal cord). Acts as a cushion, protecting the brain and spinal cord from injury. Additionally, helps maintain a stable environment by removing waste products from the brain, regulating the flow of nutrients, and maintaining intracranial pressure.
Various details
7T MRI of my brain taken on Dec 11, 2019.
3T MRI of my brain taken on Aug 28, 2023.
T stands for Tesla representing the magnetic field strength of the MRI. Think of it like resolution. Higher tesla, higher resolution.
Most scans are T1-weighted, meaning they enhance fatty tissue and supress the signal from water. T2-weighted, on the other hand, enhances the water signal and are great for imaging CSF.
If you’re interested in doing this yourself
For now, I won’t describe how to perform the skull stripping and segmentation from a nifti1 (.nii) file. That can be quite a labour-intensive process if you have no background in it. However, if you’re interested in converting .nii to .obj files and then producing Plotly plots like the ones above, you can see my code under the projects tab or click here.
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