Professor Wieslaw Nowinski: 25 years of contribution to the development of digital brain atlases

Understanding how the brain works is essential in many aspects of people’s lives. Many longitudinal population-based studies try to establish links between a variety of factors and successful/unsuccessful brain aging, behavior, psychiatric disorders, stroke, dementia, and death. Neuroimaging plays a crucial role in such studies. During recent decades we have witnessed rapid developments in computer technology and imaging techniques that allow for digitalization of high-resolution 2 and 3-dimensional pictures of the whole brain. Neuroimaging methods have revolutionized our approach to learning, understanding, and utilizing neuroanatomy, which now forms part of a quantitative neuroscience. Functional non-invasive neuroimaging has become available not only for studying large samples of patients with diseases, but also of healthy subjects. Large population-based studies have started to deliver complex neuroimaging datasets, which have enabled researchers to explore links between brain structures and functions at the macro and micro levels, and study how they are affected by a variety of external factors. From the very beginning, integration of structural and functional data across large databases using a standardized approach was a challenge, as size and shapes of brains vary significantly.

Digital brain atlases have become important in serving as databases in which neuroanatomical and functional data can be registered and spatially related in a standardized space. Registration of neuroanatomical data in a 3D atlas allows us to accumulate structural and functional data from different brains into structural and functional neural networks, as well as to identify locations and distributions of interactions in the network. The role of digital brain atlases is therefore absolutely crucial in modern neuroimaging research, and will continue to grow due to the huge increase in data. It can be safely assumed that without brain atlases, many major discoveries in clinical neuroscience over the last 20 years would not have been possible. It comes as no surprise that major research agencies have founded unprecedented “big brain projects”, such as the BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovate Neurotechnologies), the Human Brain Project to build a computer model of the human brain, and the Allen Brain Atlas to map gene expression integrated with the underlying neuroanatomy.

Understanding the paramount importance of brain atlases in neuroradiological research and clinical practice, I invited Professor Wieslaw Nowinski (Figure 1) to write two articles for The Neuroradiology Journal on brain atlases.^1,2 One article is dedicated to the technical aspects of brain atlas creation,¹ and the other is a detailed review of the past, current, and future roles of brain atlases.²

Figure 1.

Professor Wieslaw Nowinski.

Professor Nowinski is a very well-known expert in the area of brain atlases. This year is the 20th anniversary of the introduction of his first digital brain atlas to neuroradiology. He has a unique ability to build bridges among science, medicine, and art, focusing on the human brain. His research includes electronic atlases of the human brain, head and neck, stroke, deep brain stimulation, brain quantification, neuroinformatics, medical image processing, virtual reality, computer-assisted diagnosis and treatment, and future directions in computer-aided radiology and surgery, among others. He has 565 publications, 121 patent applications filed and granted (15 patents already granted in the USA and eight in the EU), and has developed, with his team, 35 brain atlas products used worldwide in neurosurgery, neuroradiology, neurology, brain mapping, and neuro-education. These atlases have been licensed to 67 companies and institutions, including three publishers, and distributed to about 100 countries. Three high-tech companies have been started from his lab, two acquired.

Professor Nowinski has pioneered a number of novel concepts in medicine, including atlas-assisted processing of medical images, do-it-yourself neurosurgery, helical stereotaxy, the operating room of the future, a probabilistic functional atlas, a probabilistic stroke atlas, atlas-aided stroke image processing, and atlas-assisted processing of brain scans.

Most impactful is his work on human brain atlasing covering structural, vascular, connectional, and functional brain atlases; atlases of neurologic disorders; population-based brain atlases in health and disease; the atlas of cerebrovascular variants; stroke atlases; and an atlas of the head and neck. Professor Nowinski has introduced electronic brain atlases along with several new concepts to atlas-assisted stereotactic and functional neurosurgery. The electronic brain atlases created by him have been licensed to 13 surgical companies and incorporated in more than 1550 neurosurgical workstations; they have been distributed worldwide by leading companies, including Medtronic, BrainLab, and Elekta. Hundreds of thousands of patients have been treated using the Nowinski Brain Atlases, resulting in better outcomes and improved quality of life. Fifteen brain atlases have been distributed by Thieme Publishers, New York-Stuttgart, mainly to individual clinicians and medical institutions. iPad- and Android-based versions have also been developed. In total, about 10,000 copies of the Nowinski Brain Atlases have been distributed.

In addition, with his team, Professor Nowinski has developed several awarded computer-aided systems for stroke diagnosis, treatment, and prediction, based on his patented and patent-pending solutions.

Professor Nowinski has been conferred with 43 awards and honors; 25 awards are from leading medical societies, including Magna cum Laude (radiological Oscar) from the Radiological Society of North America in 2009 and 2004; Magna cum Laude from the European Congress of Radiology in 2000; Summa cum Laude in 2014, 2012, 2008 and 1997, and Magna cum Laude in 2009 and 2005 from the American Society of Neuroradiology; and Highly Commended in 2013 (in the medical book category) from the British Medical Association. Professor Nowinski received the Knight’s Cross of Merit from the President of the Republic of Poland in 2005. He was named The Outstanding Pole in the world in 2012. He was a finalist for the Asian Innovation Award 2010, organized by The Wall Street Journal and Credit Swiss, for his stroke work. He received the Pioneer in Medicine title from SBMT/USA in 2013. In 2014, Professor Nowinski was a laureate (within the top three) of the European Inventor Award in Lifetime Achievement category.

His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, on The Discovery Channel, CNN, BBC (Tomorrow’s World), and Channel News Asia, among others. He has been listed in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, and Who’s Who in Asia.

Many international experts and neuroradiology leaders have appreciated Professor Nowinski’s contribution to the neuroradiological sciences. Their opinions are included below:

Dr. Albrecht Hauff, Chairman and CEO, Thieme Publishers:

I would like to congratulate you on this lengthy list of recognitions. Your contributions also span the gap that often exists between basic science and clinical care—a quality that makes your work truly unique. I would also like to thank you for the advancements you and your lab have brought to the treatment of patients with neurological disorders. When we first began to publish our highly successful series of brain atlases more than 30 years ago, no one else could predict not only their long-term utility but also their impact on neuroscience, neuroradiology, and neurosurgery. Because of your work in digitizing, improving and enhancing the atlases, their usefulness has been extended to a new generation of researchers and practitioners. Most recently, your ground-breaking work in the creation of new atlases from 3T and 7T scans has added a new and promising dimension to the field of neuroanatomy.

Anne G. Osborn, MD, Distinguished Professor; Department of Radiology, University of Utah School of Medicine; CEO of Amirsys Inc:

If in creating The Human Brain in 1492 Pieces it was Dr. Nowinski’s goal to produce the world’s most gorgeous, visually stunning human brain atlas, then he has undeniably succeeded. With this incredible software you hold the future in your hands. When you put this CD into your computer, you are embarking on a voyage of discovery into a Brave New World of neuroanatomy, seen in an entirely new and totally stunning way. Sit back and enjoy this breathtaking, totally engrossing delight!

Val M. Runge, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Investigative Radiology:

Dr. Nowinski's Atlas of Brain Anatomy is a superb and invaluable resource for all diagnostic radiologists, in particular those who interpret MR and CT. The atlas is extremely easy to navigate, and presents pictorially critical information and anatomy for diagnostic interpretation, serving both as an excellent diagnostic resource and an invaluable educational tool.

William W. Orrison, Jr., MD, Chief of Neuroradiology, Nevada Imaging Centers; Past Professor and Chairman, Department of Radiology, University of Utah:

The Human Brain in 1492 Pieces from 3T and 7T is a phenomenal accomplishment that provides amazing three-dimensional views of the vasculature and anatomical structures of the brain. The ease of use and the level of anatomical detail is nothing short of spectacular. This incredible academic work represents a tremendous advance in the field of neuroanatomy.

David Lopes Cardozo, PhD, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, Director of Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School:

I have been teaching the Human Nervous System for the past 15 years. Prof. Nowinski’s Brain Atlas is by far the finest which I have ever seen. It is unmatched in its accuracy, its level of detail and the brilliant way in which it combines modeling of brain structure with high-resolution imaging. It is ideal for multiple approaches to learning neuroanatomy, from self-study to organized classroom activities. It is in all respects wonderful.

Albert L. Rhoton, Jr., MD, Professor and Chairman Emeritus, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida:

The Human Brain in 1492 Pieces is a wonderful product representing the future of brain atlases. Interactive, accurate, and easy to use, this atlas sets a new standard in both neuro-education and operative planning.

Alim-Louis Benabid, MD, PhD, Professor Neurological Surgery, University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble:

Wieslaw Nowinski has produced a new atlas based on a real human brain imaged at 3 and 7 Teslas and segmented in all its components with high resolution. This is an extremely interactive software, which will be useful to students, neurologists and of course neurosurgeons. I do believe we are witnessing the advent of the functional neuroanatomy of the 21st century.

Brian Scanlan, President, Thieme Publishers International Division:

Dear Wieslaw, since we first met in the mid-1990s I have always been impressed with your long-term vision of how brain atlases could be created and used. As Thomas Edison said, ‘Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.’ You doggedly, systematically and persistently expanded the quality and utility of brain atlases in the medical, scientific, and educational spheres. Your work ethic is second to none.

Benoit Battistelli, President of the European Patent Office:

Wieslaw Nowinski’s work brings research and practice together, and as a European world citizen, he builds bridges between continents. Brain research continues to gain in importance as the world’s population ages. In this area of research, Nowinski is both a pioneer and a trendsetter.

Edward Herskovits, Clinical Professor, Chair of Research of the Department of Radiology, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore:

Dr Nowinski outlines his extensive contributions to neuroinformatics and neuroscience over the course of his career. Tools that researchers now take for granted, such as brain atlases, registration and segmentation algorithms, have their origins in his original work. His laboratory developed several of the earliest brain atlases, and extended these efforts to include diseases, and their applications to education. He also pioneered the development of applications that edit and visualize atlases, which has greatly facilitated their deployment and refinement. Atlases became much more useful after the first accurate registration algorithms became widely available, an effort that Dr Nowinski spearheaded. Researchers could then register many subjects’ image volumes to a standard coordinate system, and thereby evaluate spatial hypotheses regarding the distribution of signal intensity in the normal, developing, and diseased human brain. These advances were extended by the development of semi-automated and automated methods for brain-lesion segmentation, which found particular use in the analysis of the aging brain, and of multiple sclerosis. These advances in atlas generation, visualization, registration and segmentation, and their educational applications, have become progressively more sophisticated over the years, as researchers have advanced from their applications to normal brains, volumetric and surface morphometry, and more recently to functional and anatomic connectivity. Overall, Dr Nowinski’s accomplishments are impressive not only in their breadth, but in their relevance over the decades in a very rapidly evolving field.

Taking into account Professor Nowinski’s expertise and exceptional lifetime achievements in the field of brain atlasing, I strongly encourage NRJ readers to read his interesting articles.