Poisson Flow Model of Cortical Folding Pattern

TL;DR

This paper introduces a Poisson flow model based on cortical surface curvature to better characterize and analyze the complex folding patterns of the brain, especially in neurological conditions like JME.

Contribution

The novel Poisson flow model provides a smooth, geometric framework for studying cortical folding and distributed abnormalities in neurological diseases.

Findings

Enables spatially coherent analysis of sulcal--gyral patterns.

Provides a new geometric framework for cortical surface analysis.

Abstract

Cortical folding reflects coordinated neurodevelopmental processes and provides a sensitive marker of neurological disease. In juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), structural abnormalities are subtle and spatially distributed, limiting the sensitivity of conventional morphometric measures such as cortical thickness. We introduce a Poisson flow model derived from gradients of the mean curvature field on the cortical surface. The method yields a smooth scalar field obtained from a Poisson equation, whose surface gradient defines a flow representation of folding organization. This representation enables spatially coherent characterization of sulcal--gyral patterns and provides a principled geometric framework for studying distributed cortical alterations in JME.