HIPS stands for Hippocampus Subfield Segmentation, and it is a fully automated tool developed as part of the volBrain platform. Its primary function is to segment the hippocampus into subfields using high-resolution 3D T1-weighted MRI.
🧩 Purpose To provide volumetric measurements of hippocampal subregions, which are critical in the study of:
Alzheimer's disease
Epilepsy
Schizophrenia
Cognitive decline
And other disorders involving hippocampal atrophy or remodeling
🧬 What It Segments HIPS divides the hippocampus into anatomically meaningful subfields:
CA1, CA2–CA3
Dentate gyrus
Subiculum
SR-SL-SM (Stratum Radiatum / Lacunosum / Moleculare)
Presubiculum
Hippocampal tail
These measurements are produced separately for each hemisphere.
⚙️ Technical Details Input: 3D T1-weighted MRI
Output: Segmented images + volumetric report
Based on machine learning models trained on manual segmentations
Uses non-linear registration and anatomical priors
Part of volBrain’s backend, can be integrated with other tools like Vol2Brain
⚠️ Limitations Only reliable with high-quality, non-lesioned MRI scans
Not validated for use in brains with:
Mass lesions (e.g., tumors, AVMs)
Postoperative changes
Severe atrophy or malformations
Focused only on the hippocampus, so not useful for whole-brain analysis
📌 In the AVM Study Context The use of HIPS in patients with AVMs near the sensorimotor cortex is questionable. Since AVMs can cause mass effect, edema, or distortion, especially in adjacent white matter tracts, hippocampal subfield measurements may be indirectly affected or unreliable. Without showing clinical correlation (e.g., memory testing), these volumetric differences risk being overinterpreted.