Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Improving brain scan accuracy using head shape from photos
By Harmening N et al.·2026·BIFOLD - Berlin Institute for the Foundations of Learning and Data, Germany·View original on Europe PMC →
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Original publication title: Data-driven head model individualization from digitized electrode positions or photogrammetry improves M/EEG source localization accuracy.
Plain-English summary
This study introduces a new method to create personalized head models that can help improve the accuracy of locating brain activity in people, especially when detailed brain scans aren’t available. By using information from the shape of a person's scalp, which can be gathered through simple smartphone scans or precise electrode placements, researchers can better match individual head shapes to improve results. In tests with 16 people, this new approach showed better accuracy than traditional methods. Additionally, in simulations with 22 different head shapes, the new models outperformed standard techniques. Overall, this method could make it easier to study brain activity without needing complex scans.
Abstract
We propose a data-driven algorithm to approximate individual head anatomies to improve source localization accuracy over the widely used standard head models Colin27 and ICBM-152 when structural MRI/CT scans are not available. Based on a low-dimensional representation of a large head model database, we derive individual head shape parameters solely from additional knowledge of the subject's scalp, which is obtained, for example, from photogrammetry scans or precise electrode positions. We demonstrate in an experimental study of 16 subjects that our approach provides better-approximated head model anatomies than other existing approaches, even when using scalp proxies derived from a smartphone scan. Moreover, in an EEG simulation study involving 22 heads, we show that our head models outperform standard and other individualization approaches in terms of source localization accuracy. As our proposed head model individualization method does not require structural scans of each subject, it can help improve source localization with minimal effort in future M/EEG studies, particularly when MRI/CT scans are not available.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Europe PMC: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41523215