Joint Modeling for Geometry and Functionality of Cerebral Cortical Surface Images

Abstract: We propose a framework for jointly modeling the geometry and functionality in high dimensional functional surfaces. The proposed mixed effects model characterizes effects of subject-specific covariates and exogenous stimuli on functional surfaces while accounting for potential mutual-influence of their geometry and functionality. This is achieved through a computationally efficient estimation method that incorporates regularized estimation of the precision matrix of the random effects. We perform a thorough analysis of cerebral cortical surface structural MRI and task fMRI data from the Human Connectome Project and discover relationships between the geometric shapes of cortical surface and neuronal activation responding to task stimuli. Our findings highlight new modes of correspondence between cortical surface shape and functional activation relevant to emotion processing.