Brain Imaging

In the last three decades, neuroscience has evolved into a tremendous growing field of non-invasive imaging of brain anatomy and function. Due to its ability to visualize soft tissue with exquisite anatomical detail and contrast and due to technological advances in functional MRI techniques, MR brain imaging plays a key role in advancing the understanding of neurobiology in cognitive processes. In particular, the field of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has created considerable excitement in the medical and scientific community. Additionally, the more recently developed technique of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) promises to provide complementary information about brain morphology and function. Considering the wide variety of these techniques, magnetic resonance truly offers an unequalled approach for furthering our understanding of the human brain in health and disease.

The aim in our projects is to further improve and develop the MR methodologies mentioned above and to explore their relevance for both, basic neuroscience and clinical diagnosis. We propose to combine and integrate the various MR methodologies to study neuronal connectivity and its reorganization or degeneration over time in specific disorders. Furthermore, the development, optimization and combination of various functional imaging modalities may enable a more profound understanding of physiological and pathological processes within the human brain. Specifically, new methodological advances and exploitation of high-field MRI in high-resolution anatomical and vascular imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, fiber tracking as well as time-resolved fMRI are proposed in the following sections.