epi-anat alignment at wits end

[wgraves]

AFNI version info (afni -ver):
Precompiled binary linux_ubuntu_16_64: Jan 31 2024 (Version AFNI_24.0.04 'Caracalla')

Dear AFNI experts,

As hesitant as I am to post this request for help publicly, I'm basically at my wit's end with trying to align a noisy EPI scan from a stroke survivor with the corresponding anatomy. Here's what I found works well enough just using align_epi_anat.py:

# EPI to FLAIR alignmet seems to basically work.
# But first need to align T1 and FLAIR scans.
# FLAIR to Anat:
align_epi_anat.py -dset1to2 -dset1 flair_CM.nii.gz -dset2 anat_CM.nii.gz -cost lpc+ -big_move -overwrite
# EPI to FLAIR to Anat
align_epi_anat.py -anat flair_CM_al+orig \
		-epi2anat -epi run2_CM.nii.gz \
		-epi_base median \
		-giant_move \
		-cost lpa+ZZ \
		-epi_strip None \
		-resample off \
		-overwrite

However, ultimately I want to run afni_proc.py to pre-process the data for eventual functional connectivity analysis, per example 11 in the afni_proc.py help. For that, my understanding is that it's best to do all the pre-processing in one shot. But I can't figure out how to do the equivalent of the align_epi_anat.py commands above in afni_proc.py. When I try this, the epi-anat alignment doesn't look so good:

afni_proc.py                                                         \
    -subj_id                  $subj                                  \
    -copy_anat                anat_warped/anatSS.${subj}.nii             \
    -blocks                   despike tshift align tlrc volreg blur mask          \
                              scale regress                          \
-anat_has_skull no \
-anat_follower anat_w_skull anat $subj/SUMA/${subj}_SurfVol.nii \
-anat_follower_ROI aaseg anat $subj/SUMA/aparc.a2009s+aseg.nii.gz \
-anat_follower_ROI aeseg epi $subj/SUMA/aparc.a2009s+aseg.nii.gz \
-anat_follower_ROI FSvent epi $subj/SUMA/fs_ap_latvent.nii.gz \
-anat_follower_ROI FSWe epi $subj/SUMA/fs_ap_wm.nii.gz \
-anat_follower_erode FSvent FSWe \
-dsets run1_CM.nii.gz run2_CM.nii.gz run3_CM.nii.gz run4_CM.nii.gz \
-tcat_remove_first_trs 2 \
-align_unifize_epi yes \
-align_opts_aea -anat flair_CM_al+orig \
		-epi2anat \
		-epi_strip None \
		-epi_base median \
		-cost lpa+ZZ \
		-giant_move  \
		-resample off \
	        -check_flip  \
-tlrc_base /usr/local/afni/bin/MNI152_2009_template_SSW.nii.gz \
-tlrc_NL_warp \
-tlrc_NL_warped_dsets anat_warped/anatQQ.$subj.nii anat_warped/anatQQ.$subj.aff12.1D anat_warped/anatQQ.${subj}_WARP.nii \
-volreg_align_to MIN_OUTLIER \
-volreg_align_e2a \
-volreg_tlrc_warp \
-blur_size 4 \
-mask_epi_anat yes \
-regress_motion_per_run \
-regress_ROI_PC FSvent 3 \
-regress_ROI_PC_per_run FSvent \
-regress_make_corr_vols aeseg FSvent \
-regress_anaticor_fast \
-regress_anaticor_label FSWe \
-regress_censor_motion 1.0 \
-regress_censor_outliers 0.3 \
-regress_apply_mot_types demean deriv \
-regress_est_blur_epits \
-regress_est_blur_errts \
-scr_overwrite \
-html_review_style pythonic \
-execute

Paul, I plan to follow your advice from another thread and remove the "blur" references later. But for now I'm just trying to get the basics to work.

-Will

[rickr]

Hi Will,

Sure, this will certainly not work, but it would be good to first understand what you are trying to accomplish. What is the purpose of the flair volume here (as opposed to anatSS)? Are you hoping to use the flair for anat/epi alignment instead of anatSS? If that is the case, perhaps you should just pass it via -copy_anat, since that dictates alignment.

• rick

[wgraves]

Ha, ok Rick, good to know that it definitely won't work. I managed to align a couple of other patients' epi with their anat using afni_proc.py, but this one is giving me trouble no matter what cost function I use (and I've tried every one listed in 3dAllineate). So I thought that aligning the EPI to the FLAIR that happens to be available would be easier. Turns out align_epi_anat.py was able to align the EPI with the FLAIR.

So as long as the FLAIR is in alignment with the T1 anatomy, I hoped that the transform from orig to tlrc that was calculated using @SSwarper from an earlier step that I didn't share would also work to bring the FLAIR and, ultimately, EPI into common space.

If I just pass the FLAIR via -copy_anat, wouldn't that only get the EPI as far as aligning to the FLAIR, which is still in orig space? I thought the point of using afni_proc.py, per example 11, was to do all the pre-processing and alignment to common space at once. Please let me know what I'm misunderstanding about this when you get a chance.

Best,
Will

[rickr]

Hi Will,

Yes, afni_proc.py will concatenate the transformations (there could even be 5 or 6, IIRC).

Before giving up on the T1, try replacing "-align_unifize_epi yes" with "-align_unifize_epi local".

That has shown to work well.

• rick

[wgraves]

Hi Rick,

Thanks for that pointer. It did help! I don't think the alignment is quite as nice as when the EPI is aligned to the FLAIR, but at least it's better, as you can see in these QC screenshots:

Best,
Will