Towards Diagnostic Applications of Virtual/Mixed Reality to Brain Scans*

Abstract

The human brain, containing billions of nerve cells (neurons) and their connecting fibers (Axons and Dendrons), is among the least understood organs in our body. A bundle of axon makes up a nerve tract that transmits electrical signals to other neurons, muscles and glands throughout the body. Over the years, clinical visualization techniques of brain nerve tracts have been developed to enhance the performance of medical diagnostics and neurosurgery [1] [2]. One of them is 2D MRI brain scans (raster) while another is the use of 2.5D visualization software, such as ExploreDTI11https://www.exploredti.com/, to connect nerve tract pathways and visualize off-axis viewpoints of tract trajectories (vector). The main objective of this project is to apply Virtual (VR), Augmented (AR) or Mixed Reality (MR) technologies to this problem and progress current standalone 2.5D brain tract visualisation tools to collaborative 3DVR visualisation and analysis of brain structures.