Following the significant development of Indian Brain Templates (IBT) and a brain atlas by a team of neuroscientists at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), there has been a surge in interest. Positioned in Bangalore, Karnataka, NIMHANS is an independent medical institution that excels as the primary center for mental health and neuroscience education across India.
About the Brain Template
A brain template is essentially a gross representation created from various brain scans. It serves as a reference model for understanding functions of the brain under diseased conditions. Currently, India employs the Montreal Neurological Index (MNI) template, which is tailored to Caucasian brains – inherently different from Asian brains. The MNI template was constructed by averaging 152 healthy brain scans from a small fraction of North America’s population. While several countries have developed their own scales to measure the brain, India continues to rely on the Caucasian brain template.
The NIMHANS Indian Brain Templates and Brain Atlas
Over 500 Indian patient brain scans were meticulously analyzed by neuroscientists to create five distinct sets of IBTs and a brain atlas. This offers a scale specifically designed to measure an Indian brain. Given that most brain scans necessitate comparison with a standard brain template, having a model representing the Indian demographic will significantly improve the accuracy of results.
Validation experiments alongside comparisons with pre-existing international templates confirm the heightened accuracy of alignment whilst using the NIMHANS IBTs for Indian brains. This thereby lessens the likelihood of distortions, errors, or biases in the final evaluations of brain structure and function.
The Brain Atlas has been designed to cater to five age groups ranging from late childhood through late adulthood (six to 60 years).
Advantages of the IBT and Brain Atlas
These specialized population and age-specific Indian brain templates pave the way for effective tracking of brain development and aging. By offering more accurate reference maps, they assist in locating areas of interest in individual patients suffering neurological disorders such as strokes, brain tumors, and dementia.
Broader studies on the human brain and psychological functions will also benefit from these templates and atlas. They will be instrumental in enhancing understanding of psychiatric illnesses like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, substance dependence, schizophrenia, and mood disorders.
Moving Ahead with IBT
Previous attempts to develop brain templates in India primarily focused on young adults with a significantly smaller subject pool. However, NIMHANS’ IBTs have been generated from a comprehensive scan that encompasses a wider age range. These templates can be seamlessly incorporated into standard protocols of brain imaging in India, further improving the precision and reliability of the results.