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Saliency Mapping in Convolutional Neural Networks to Determine Brain Age Trajectories

Brain Age (BA) estimation via Deep Learning has become a strong and reliable bio-marker for brain health, but the black-box nature of Neural Networks does not easily allow insight into the causal features of brain ageing. In this work, a ResNet model was trained as a BA regressor on T1 structural br...

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Main Author: Taylor, Daniel
Other Authors: Shock, Jonathan
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics 2023
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access_status_str Open Access
author Taylor, Daniel
author2 Shock, Jonathan
author_browse Shock, Jonathan
Taylor, Daniel
author_facet Shock, Jonathan
Taylor, Daniel
author_sort Taylor, Daniel
collection Thesis
description Brain Age (BA) estimation via Deep Learning has become a strong and reliable bio-marker for brain health, but the black-box nature of Neural Networks does not easily allow insight into the causal features of brain ageing. In this work, a ResNet model was trained as a BA regressor on T1 structural brain MRI volumes from a small cross-sectional cohort of 524 individuals. Using Layer-wise Relevance Propagation (LRP) and DeepLIFT saliency mapping techniques, analyses were performed on the trained model to determine the most revealing structures over the course of brain ageing for the network, and compare these between the saliency mapping techniques. This work shows the change in attribution of relevance to di erent brain regions through the course of ageing. A tripartite pattern of relevance attribution to brain regions emerges. Some regions increase in relevance with age (e.g. the right Transverse Temporal Gyrus, known to be a ected by healthy ageing); some decrease in relevance with age (e.g. the right Fourth Ventricle, known to dilate with age); and others remained consistently relevant across ages. This work also examines the e ect of Brain Age Delta (DBA) on the distribution of relevance within the brain volume, for both older and younger individuals. It is hoped that these ndings will provide clinically relevant region-wise trajectories for normal brain ageing, and a baseline against which to compare brain ageing trajectories.
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:33:43.673Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2023
publishDateRange 2023
publishDateSort 2023
publisher Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics
publisherStr Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics
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source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/37373 Saliency Mapping in Convolutional Neural Networks to Determine Brain Age Trajectories Taylor, Daniel Shock, Jonathan Moodley, Deshendran Mathematics And Applied Mathematics Brain Age (BA) estimation via Deep Learning has become a strong and reliable bio-marker for brain health, but the black-box nature of Neural Networks does not easily allow insight into the causal features of brain ageing. In this work, a ResNet model was trained as a BA regressor on T1 structural brain MRI volumes from a small cross-sectional cohort of 524 individuals. Using Layer-wise Relevance Propagation (LRP) and DeepLIFT saliency mapping techniques, analyses were performed on the trained model to determine the most revealing structures over the course of brain ageing for the network, and compare these between the saliency mapping techniques. This work shows the change in attribution of relevance to di erent brain regions through the course of ageing. A tripartite pattern of relevance attribution to brain regions emerges. Some regions increase in relevance with age (e.g. the right Transverse Temporal Gyrus, known to be a ected by healthy ageing); some decrease in relevance with age (e.g. the right Fourth Ventricle, known to dilate with age); and others remained consistently relevant across ages. This work also examines the e ect of Brain Age Delta (DBA) on the distribution of relevance within the brain volume, for both older and younger individuals. It is hoped that these ndings will provide clinically relevant region-wise trajectories for normal brain ageing, and a baseline against which to compare brain ageing trajectories. 2023-03-13T09:58:30Z 2023-03-13T09:58:30Z 2022 2023-02-21T07:22:28Z Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37373 eng application/pdf Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics Faculty of Science
spellingShingle Mathematics And Applied Mathematics
Taylor, Daniel
Saliency Mapping in Convolutional Neural Networks to Determine Brain Age Trajectories
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Saliency Mapping in Convolutional Neural Networks to Determine Brain Age Trajectories
title_full Saliency Mapping in Convolutional Neural Networks to Determine Brain Age Trajectories
title_fullStr Saliency Mapping in Convolutional Neural Networks to Determine Brain Age Trajectories
title_full_unstemmed Saliency Mapping in Convolutional Neural Networks to Determine Brain Age Trajectories
title_short Saliency Mapping in Convolutional Neural Networks to Determine Brain Age Trajectories
title_sort saliency mapping in convolutional neural networks to determine brain age trajectories
topic Mathematics And Applied Mathematics
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37373
work_keys_str_mv AT taylordaniel saliencymappinginconvolutionalneuralnetworkstodeterminebrainagetrajectories