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

该奖项为乔治梅森大学提供支持，用于收购高性能3特斯拉（3 T）全身磁共振成像（MRI）扫描仪，以支持对大脑和身体的创新，变革性研究。新的3 T MRI系统，沿着复杂的线圈和软件，将成为跨学科多模态成像中心（IMIC）的核心。MRI允许对大脑和身体解剖结构和连通性进行详细的非侵入性成像;通过血氧水平依赖性（BOLD）反应进行功能成像;通过磁共振波谱进行代谢成像。GMU的科学家，代表五所学院的八个以上的学科，将通过合作进行跨学科研究大脑和身体之间的突破性关联从这个奖项中受益。 3 T MRI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北方弗吉尼亚州/华盛顿特区地区的位置，研究样本的年龄，残疾状况，种族和社会经济地位多样化。 GMU研究人员研究的一个中心主题是从生物学，心理学和社会学的角度了解大脑和身体功能的相互关系，以及在急性和慢性压力，创伤和疼痛存在下这些关系的改变。跨学科的研究计划，将显着受益于这种仪器的例子包括：那些检查大脑和周围神经系统之间的相互作用后，压力和创伤;中枢和外周疼痛感知;神经，基因和蛋白质网络和社会关系;神经发育和头部的影响;和感觉运动的整合和控制。GMU的这些和其他MRI研究项目将通过收购西门子MITTOM Prisma 3 T扫描仪而得到极大的推进，该扫描仪提供行业领先的梯度性能，并行成像功能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，并开发用于分析和整合MRI及相关生物，生理和行为数据的新技术。行为和经济科学（SBE）行为和认知科学（BCS）部门，工程局（ENG）和化学，生物工程，环境和运输系统（CBET）的ENG部门。

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).