Hi Mellanie,
In caret, the black cross shows the location of the surface's origin. The coordinates listed in the coord file for the surface shown are relative to that origin. Until you have aligned your flat map to cartesian standard, the location of the black cross has no anatomical significance. But if your flat map is aligned to cartesian standard, then the black cross should appear on the ventral tip of the central sulcus, as you identified it during the final steps in the flattening process. (See Caret5 User's Manual and Tutorial, 4/9/2004, Flattening a Full Hemisphere, page 57, the steps following "Drag the Align Surface(s) to Standard Orientation Dialog off of the Main Window.") It is clear from your screen capture that this surface has not yet been aligned to cartesian standard. You can align it after the fact by selecting Surface: Align surface to standard orientation. Make sure your final flat map is loaded, and if you want to align the spherical surface along with it, make sure the final spherical surface also is loaded.
The best way to identify anatomical regions on the flat map is to make sure both the flat and inflated surface views are loaded. Load the flat map in the main window, but select Windows: Viewing Window 2 and load the inflated surface in that window. Generally, you can easily orient yourself to the inflated view. Select a lateral view in Window 2 (the inflated view), and click along nodes near the central sulcus. See where these green nodes show up on the flat map. Now you know where the central sulcus is on the flat map. Next, hold down the right mouse button in the main caret window and clear the id nodes. Switch to a posterior view in the inflated surface, and click on nodes on the occipital pole. Now you can see where these nodes appear on the flat map. Repeat this process in each region of interest. Before you know it, you'll know your way around the flat map like a pro.
Donna
Subject: Anatomical landmarks on flatmaps From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 10:07:03 -0500 To: caret-users@brainvis.wustl.edu Hi Donna,I have attached a flatmap. What is the location of the black cross that appears in the flatmaps? Is this an anatomical landmark? Also, is the bulge at the bottom of the map (where the cross is located), the frontal lobe? I know that the activations lie in the occipital lobe. Basically, do you know a way of identifying major anatomical regions on the flatmap?Thanks for your help, Mellanie
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