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Biomedical Image Analysis
Head: Yanxi Liu
Contact: Yanxi Liu (yanxi@cs.cmu.edu)

Mailing address:
Carnegie Mellon University
Robotics Institute
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Associated centers: VASC and MRTC

The long-term objective of our research is to build a computational framework for automatic disease classification, discrimination and prediction. We take an image feature-based statistical multivariate machine learning approach on multimodal biomedical images including, but not limited to, high resolution Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI), CT images, multispectral microscopic images and optical photos and videos. Working closely in team composed of computer scientists, neuropsychologist, geriatric psychiatrist, neurologist, neuroradiologist and psychologist, we have a wide range of applications with one focused goal: discovering the discriminative feature subspaces for automatic object semantic class prediction. To reach this goal, our work covers the development of computer algorithms for learning-based deformable registration, atlas-based segmentation, 3D shape representation and analysis, innovative image feature extraction and discriminative feature subspace induction and selection. We have applied our method successfully in CT neural images for discriminating among normal, infarct and blood cases for image content-based retrieval from large, multimedia stroke patient databases ; hyper-spectral Pap smear microscopic images for screening cancer cells from normal cells; facial expression videos for human identification and even digital videos for real-time moving target tracking .Our current challenging and exciting projects include automatic classifcation of neuropsychiatric patients with central nervous system (CNS) diseases, currently focusing on schizophrenia or Alzheimer's disease, from healthy subjects using high resolution Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI).

Name - Title <Email Address>
• Howard Aizenstein - M.D., Ph.D.
• Jim Becker - Ph.D.
• Cameron Carter - M.D.
• [Home] Jeffrey Cohn - Adjunct Faculty (Adjunct) <jeffcohn@cs.cmu.edu>
• Steven DeKosky - M.D.
• [Home] Takeo Kanade - U.A. and Helen Whitaker University Prof. <tk@cs.cmu.edu>
• Nicole Lazar - Assistant Professor, Statistics <nlazar@stat.cmu.edu>
• [Home] Yanxi Liu - Adjunct Associate Research Professor <yanxi@cs.cmu.edu>
• Oscar Lopez - M.D.
• Carolyn Meltzer - M.D.
• Sinjini Mitra - PhD Student, Statistics <smitra@andrew.cmu.edu>
• Jeffrey Palmer - Masters Student, Statistics <jppalmer@andrew.cmu.edu>
• [Home] Karen Schmidt - Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, UPitt <kschmidt@pitt.edu>
• Stanley Shackney - M.D.
• Leonid Teverovskiy - PhD Student, MLD <lteverov@andrew.cmu.edu>

• A Statistical Quantification of Human Brain Asymmetry - Constructing image index features to retrieve medically similar cases from a multimedia medical database.
• Evaluation of MSP Extraction Algorithms - The aim of this project is to evaluate different state-of-art algorithms for automatic extraction of the mid-sagital plane in brain images.
• Facial Asymmetry as a Biometric - We are investigating the effect of facial asymmetry measurement statistics as a biometric under expression variations.
• Predicting Risk of Alzheimer's Disease From Shape Features - The goal of this project is to use computer vision techniques to help predict risk of Alzheimer's Disease in elderly patients.

• Quantified Brain Asymmetry for Age Estimation of Normal and Alzheimer's Disease/Mild Cognitive Impairment Subjects
  L. Teverovskiy, J. Becker, O. Lopez, and Y. Liu
  5th IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging: From Nano to Macro, May, 2008.

• Acceleration of cerebral ventricular expansion in the Cardiovascular Health Study
  O. Carmichael, L.H. Kuller, O.L. Lopez, P.M. Thompson, R.A. Dutton, A. Lu, S.E. Lee, J.Y. Lee, H.J. Aizenstein, C.C. Meltzer, Y. Liu, A.W. Toga, and J.T. Becker
  Neurobiology of Aging, Vol. 28, No. 9, September, 2007, pp. 1316 - 1321.

• Discovery of "Biomarkers" for Alzheimer's Disease Prediction from Structural MR Images
  Y. Liu, L. Teverovskiy, O. Lopez, H. Aizenstein, C. Meltzer, and J. Becker
  2007 IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging, April, 2007.

• Feature-based vs. Intensity-based Neuroimage Registration: Comprehensive Comparison Using Mutual Information
  L. Teverovskiy, O. Carmichael, H. Aizenstein, N. Lazar, and Y. Liu
  2007 IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging, April, 2007.

• Ventricular volume and dementia progression in the Cardiovascular Health Study
  O. Carmichael, L.H. Kuller, O.L. Lopez, P.M. Thompson, A. Lu, S.E. Lee, J.Y. Lee, H.J. Aizenstein, C.C. Meltzer, Y. Liu, A.W. Toga, and J.T. Becker
  Neurobiology of Aging, Vol. 28, No. 3, February, 2007, pp. 389 - 397.

• Cerebral Ventricular Changes Associated With Transitions Between Normal Cognitive Function, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia
  O. Carmichael, L.H. Kuller, O. Lopez, P.M. Thompson, R.A. Dutton, A. Lu, S.E. Lee, J.Y. Lee, H. Aizenstein, C. Meltzer, Y. Liu, A.W. Toga, and J. Becker
  Alzheimer's Disease and Associated Disorders, Vol. 21, No. 1, January, 2007, pp. 14 - 24.

• Understanding the Role of Facial Asymmetry in Human Face Identification
  S. Mitra, N. Lazar, and Y. Liu
  Statistics and Computing, Vol. 17, January, 2007, pp. 57 - 70. [Abstract]
  Download: pdf [515 KB] copyrighted

• Quantified Symmetry for Entorhinal Spatial Maps
  E. Chastain and Y. Liu
  Fifteenth Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting (CNS 2006), July, 2006. [Abstract]
  Download: pdf [443 KB] copyrighted

• Mapping Ventricular Changes Related to Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment in a Large Community-Based Cohort
  O. Carmichael, P.M. Thompson, R.A. Dutton, A. Lu, S.E. Lee, J.Y. Lee, L.H. Kuller, O. Lopez, H. Aizenstein, C. CidisMeltzer, Y. Liu, A.W. Toga, and J. Becker
  3rd IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging: Macro to Nano, 2006, April, 2006, pp. 315 - 318.
  Download: pdf [557 KB] copyrighted

• Truly 3D Midsagittal Plane Extraction for Robust Neuroimage Registration
  L. Teverovskiy and Y. Liu
  3rd IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging: Macro to Nano, 2006, April, 2006, pp. 860 - 863.
  Download: pdf [344 KB] copyrighted