MRI: Acquisition of a 3T MRI for Integrative Brain-Body Imaging

该奖项为乔治梅森大学获得高性能3特斯拉（3T）全身磁共振成像（MRI）扫描仪提供支持，以支持对大脑和身体的创新，变革性研究。新的3T MRI系统，连同复杂的线圈和软件，将成为跨学科多模式成像中心（IMIC）的核心。核磁共振成像可以对大脑和身体的解剖结构和连通性进行详细的、无创的成像；通过血氧水平依赖性（BOLD）反应实现功能；通过磁共振光谱学进行新陈代谢。GMU的科学家们代表了5个学院的8个学科，他们将通过合作开展跨领域的跨学科研究，对大脑和身体之间的突破性联系进行研究，从而受益于这一奖项。3T核磁共振扫描仪还将使GMU的研究人员能够对本科生、研究生和初级科学家进行脑体科学方法的创新培训。这组研究人员都利用我们在弗吉尼亚州北部/华盛顿特区的地理位置来研究年龄、残疾状况、种族和社会经济地位不同的样本。GMU研究者研究的一个中心主题是从生物学、心理学和社会的角度来理解大脑和身体功能的相互关系，以及这些关系在急性和慢性压力、创伤和疼痛的存在下的改变。将显著受益于该仪器的跨学科研究项目的例子包括：研究压力和创伤后大脑和周围神经系统之间的相互作用；中枢性和外周性疼痛知觉；神经、基因、蛋白质网络和社会关系；神经发育和头部影响；感觉运动整合和控制。通过收购西门子MAGNETOM Prisma 3T扫描仪，GMU的这些和其他MRI研究项目将得到极大的推进，该扫描仪提供行业领先的梯度性能，并行成像能力以及支持和创新的序列开发社区。为了应对本提案中概述的研究所带来的大数据挑战，将建立一个由计算机科学家、工程师和生物静力学家组成的数据分析核心，以促进数据处理和存储，并开发分析和整合MRI和相关生物、生理和行为数据的新技术。该核磁共振奖由社会、行为和经济科学理事会（SBE）行为和认知科学部（BCS）、工程理事会（ENG）和化学、生物工程、环境和运输系统（CBET）的ENG部（ENG）支持。

This award provides support to George Mason University for the acquisition of a high performance 3 Tesla (3T), whole body Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner to support innovative, transformative research into brain and body. The new 3T MRI system, along with sophisticated coils and software, will be the centerpiece of an Interdisciplinary Multimodal Imaging Center (IMIC). MRI allows detailed, noninvasive imaging of brain and body anatomy and connectivity; function via blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses; and metabolism via magnetic resonance spectroscopy. GMU scientists, representing more than eight disciplines across five colleges, will benefit from this award by collaborating to conduct cross-cutting interdisciplinary research on groundbreaking associations between brain and body. The 3T MRI scanner will also enable researchers at GMU to conduct innovative training of undergraduates, graduate students, and junior scientists in brain-body science approaches. This group of researchers all take advantage of our location in the Northern VA/Washington DC region to study sample diverse in age, disability status, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. One central theme to the research of GMU investigators is to understand the interrelations of brain and body functions from a biological, psychological, and social perspective, and the alterations of those relationships in the presence of acute and chronic stress, trauma, and pain. Examples of the interdisciplinary research programs that will significantly benefit from this instrumentation include: those examining interactions between brain and peripheral nervous systems following stress and trauma; central and peripheral pain perception; neural, gene, and protein networks and social ties; neurodevelopment and head impacts; and sensorimotor integration and control. These and the other MRI research programs at GMU will be greatly advanced by the acquisition of a Siemens MAGNETOM Prisma 3T scanner, which offers industry-leading gradient performance, parallel imaging capabilities, and a supportive and innovative sequence development community. To address the big data challenges posed by the research outlined in this proposal, a data analytics core will be established, comprised of computer scientists, engineers, and biostaticians, to facilitate data handling and storage, and to develop new techniques for the analysis and integration of MRI and related biological, physiological, and behavioral data.This MRI award is supported by the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS), The Directorate for Engineering (ENG) and the ENG Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (CBET).