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

该奖项为乔治梅森大学购买高性能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和变革性研究。新的3T磁共振成像系统，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。磁共振成像可以对大脑和身体的解剖和连通性进行详细的非侵入性成像；通过血氧水平依赖(BOLD)反应实现功能；通过磁共振波谱实现新陈代谢。GMU的科学家代表五所学院的八个学科，他们将通过合作对大脑和身体之间的突破性联系进行跨学科交叉研究，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退伍军人事务部/华盛顿特区北部地区的位置来研究年龄、残疾状况、种族和社会经济地位不同的样本。GMU研究人员的一个中心主题是从生物、心理和社会角度了解大脑和身体功能的相互关系，以及在存在急性和慢性应激、创伤和疼痛时这些关系的变化。将显著受益于这一仪器的跨学科研究项目的例子包括：那些研究应激和创伤后大脑和外周神经系统之间的相互作用；中枢和外周疼痛感知；神经、基因、蛋白质网络和社会联系；神经发育和头部影响；以及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研究项目将大大推进，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性和创新性的序列开发社区。为了应对这项提案中概述的研究带来的大数据挑战，将建立一个由计算机科学家、工程师和生物统计学家组成的数据分析核心，以促进数据处理和存储，并开发分析和集成MRI和相关生物、生理和行为数据的新技术。该MRI奖由社会、行为和经济科学委员会(SBE)行为和认知科学部门(BCS)、工程委员会(ENG)和ENG化学、生物工程、环境和运输系统部门(CBET)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).