Hi all,

If I understand correctly, the surface-based morphometry (SBM) done by Freesurfer offers superior registration as compared to voxel-based methods such as VBM, in that:
1. "SBM smoothing respects anatomical boundaries better than the 3D VBM smoothing".
2.  "SBM group analysis employs inter-subject alignment based on the patterns of sulci and gyri, as opposed to Talairach registration, which often ignores sulcal/gyral landmarks"

I'm not sure I understand those reasons, however. For 1., why does the smoothing operation (basically, a multiplication) "care" about anatomy or registration at all, such that it can be said it is better done in SBM vs VBM?
And for 2., doesn't the Talairach registration used in VBM simply imply a certain target template? Surely such a template is used in SBM registration as well, and if that is the case, then how are sulcal/gyral landmarks taken into account?

Thanks for any help!

Tudor