:: Perfusion MRI methods and their application to neurosciences ::

Supervisors:
Professor Alan Connelly            Email: a.connelly (at brain.org.au)
Dr Fernando Calamante            Email: f.calamante (at brain.org.au)
Dr Jacques-Donald Tournier     Email: d.tournier (at brain.org.au)

MRI Technical Development

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is not only capable of providing detailed anatomical information, but is also a very powerful tool for the study of functional characteristics of the brain. Perfusion MRI can be used to measure cerebral perfusion or cerebral blood flow (i.e the rate of delivery of blood to brain tissue) and has the potential, when combined with diffusion MRI, to revolutionise the diagnosis and management of many clinical application. It is also playing an increasing role in the understanding of brain function, since it provides a quantitantive measure to asses brain activity.

Research Projects

The principal neuroscience interests of the group are in the fields of epilepsy, stroke, and cognitive neurosciences (e.g. language function), and the MRI development work will have the ultimate goal of applicability to problems in these fields. The MRI work will be performed on a state-of-the-art 3 Tesla Siemens Tim Trio research scanner at the Institute. Examples of potential research projects include:

Project 1: Robust MRI method to quantify perfusion in white matter: Among the remaining problems in perfusion MRI is accurate white matter perfusion estimation, which is particularly difficult due to the very low blood flow in white matter. Robust white matter perfusion measurements are essential in a number of clinical applications, however, including lacunar infarctions and the characterisation of multiple sclerosis lesions. We propose to accurately quantify white matter perfusion by developing optimised acquisition and processing MRI methods, and to apply these to appropriate patient groups.

Project 2: Functional MRI (fMRI) connectivity using a non-BOLD method: Blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) contrast fMRI can be used to infer functional connectivity by determining the brain regions that temporally co-vary within a network. However, the BOLD signal changes are not related to brain function in a direct manner. fMRI using arterial spin labelling (ASL) is an alternative method that has a more direct relationship with the underlying neuronal process. This project will assess the role of ASL methodologies to characterise functional connectivity and compare the brain network detected with those from BOLD fMRI.

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