Project 1: Quantitative Structural and Dynamic Perfusion Imaging
Project Leader: Norbert Schuff, Ph.D; UCSF and VA Medical Center, San Francisco
The overall goal of this project is to develop new pulse sequences and methods of structural and perfusion MRI to support the research projects and clinical applications of the Resource Center. For conventional MRI methods, the detection of neurodegenerative diseases (ND) remains a challenge. Limited signal and contrast to noise ratios are major obstacles to measure subtle brain abnormalities with high precision. In addition, the complexity of ND, including structural, functional, and metabolic abnormalities requires a multivariate imaging approach. Over the past decade, the investigators of this project have developed a suite of new MRI acquisition and RF pulse methods resulting in higher efficiency, sensitivity, and precision. The current application is an extension of these previous efforts and represents the combined efforts of these investigators to develop improved acquisition techniques focused on the detection of neurodegenerative diseases.