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Fractal Analysis in Neurological Diseases

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The Fractal Geometry of the Brain

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Computational Neuroscience ((NEUROSCI))

Abstract

Over the last decades, fractal analysis has been applied to the study of the spatial and temporal complexity of a wide range of objects in biology and medicine, including the irregular and complex patterns of the nervous system. In clinical neurosciences, fractal geometry has emerged as a powerful tool to objectively analyze and quantify the intricate structures comprising the topological and functional complexity of the human brain, shedding light on the understanding of the brain function at a systems level. The fractal approach has the potential to allow physicians and scientists to predict clinical outcomes, classification between normal and pathological states, and, ultimately, the identification and diagnosis of certain neurological conditions. In this chapter, the main applications of fractal analysis into clinical neurosciences are reviewed, with special emphasis on the diagnostic precision of the fractal dimension value in different neurological diseases.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Biology, School of Sciences, University of Jaén, Jaén, Spain

    Francisco J. Esteban & Leticia Díaz-Beltrán

  2. Neurosurgery Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Antonio Di Ieva MD, PhD

  3. Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Antonio Di Ieva MD, PhD

  4. Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Antonio Di Ieva MD, PhD

  5. University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Antonio Di Ieva MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Francisco J. Esteban
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  2. Leticia Díaz-Beltrán
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  3. Antonio Di Ieva MD, PhD
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Francisco J. Esteban or Antonio Di Ieva MD, PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Antonio Di Ieva

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Esteban, F.J., Díaz-Beltrán, L., Di Ieva, A. (2016). Fractal Analysis in Neurological Diseases. In: Di Ieva, A. (eds) The Fractal Geometry of the Brain. Springer Series in Computational Neuroscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3995-4_13

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