Synopsis of brain activations from high temporal resolution data

Sequences of functional brain images obtained from image reconstruction techniques applied to Magnetoand Electro-encephalography (M/EEG) data convey a large amount of information in space and time; typically 1,000 images per second. Conventional analysis approaches to this data mining issue require considerable input from human experts. Hence, there is an emerging need for fast and automatic extraction of pertinent spatiotemporal activation patterns, which should also facilitate subsequent group analysis. We therefore introduce an automatic sequencing procedure of series of brain activation maps. The method detects the evolution of patterns of interest called activation cells. These cells are tracked across time with consistent labeling following a small set of predefined evolutionary scenarios. Resulting graphical synopsis are exemplified on epileptic spike analysis and indicate satisfactory consistency with human expertise.