MR Research Group

The MR Research Group is primarily involved with the development of acquisition methods and data processing techniques for magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI), and in the application of these techniques for diagnostic neuroimaging. MRSI is a technique that combines the imaging capabilities of MRI with the analytical capabilities of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and can be used to monitor distributions of several metabolites within the human body. Clinical research studies include the use of 1H MRSI for observation of brain metabolite distributions for epilepsy localization, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and characterization of traumatic brain injury.

Data processing methods are being developed to improve the reconstruction of MRSI data. This includes providing increased sensitivity for analysis of the acquired spectra, which typically have low signal to noise and contain a number of distortions, and improving the quality of the resultant metabolite images. In addition, an increased level of automation is being provided, in order to make these methods more generally applicable for routine clinical diagnostic studies. Additional projects include development of simulation methods that model the MRSI acquisition, and these techniques are being used to optimize acquisition parameters and data analysis methods.

Software developed by Dr. Maudsley's laboratory for MRSI processing and display has been distributed to research sites worldwide. Under the support of a NIH Biomedical Engineering Partnership grant, Dr. Maudsley is directing the MIDAS project that aims to develop and distribute data processing methods that will simplify implementation of MRSI for clinical research. This project will also develop maps of normal metabolite distributions in human brain.

The MR Research Group consists of:

Faculty
Andrew A. Maudsley, Ph.D. (Director)
Varanavasi Govindaraju, Ph.D.

Staff and Postdoctoral Fellows
Claudia Domenig, Ph.D.
Rajesh Garugu, M.S.
Ati Gonenc, Ph.D.

The MRI Center is looking for volunteers to take part in imaging research studies. For further information, please look here.