A standard atlas space with stereotaxic co-ordinates for the postnatal day 0 (P0) C57BL/6J mouse brain was constructed from
the average of eight individual co-registered MR image volumes. Accuracy of registration and morphometric variations in structures
between subjects were analyzed statistically. We also applied this atlas coordinate system to data acquired using different
imaging protocols as well as to a high-resolution histological atlas obtained from separate animals. Mapping accuracy in the
atlas space was examined to determine the applicability of this atlas framework. The results show that the atlas space defined
here provides a stable framework for image registration for P0 normal mouse brains. With an appropriate feature-based co-registration
strategy, the probability atlas can also provide an accurate anatomical map for images acquired using invasive imaging methods.
The atlas templates and the probability map of the anatomical labels are available at
http://www.loni.ucla.edu/MAP/.
Keywords Mouse atlas - Stereotaxic co-ordinate - Feature-based registration - Anatomical morphometry - MR imaging - Gene expression mapping - Developing brain