Resource for MRI of Neurodegenerative Disorders

描述（由申请人提供）：我们的总体目标是开发、优化和验证创新和改进的MRI技术，用于神经退行性疾病（ND）的诊断、早期检测、治疗监测和调查，这些技术将提供给科学界。这些技术将提供增加的信号和噪声对比度以及每单位扫描时间的分辨率，降低的敏感性和运动伪影，以改善疾病检测。这些技术包括改进的MRI/MRS采集、图像重建方法和高磁场MRI/MRS的处理/分析方法。该提案代表了MRI物理学家，计算机科学家和临床研究人员之间针对单一主题的合作工作的延续：神经退行性疾病。该生物技术研究资源的具体目标是开发，优化和验证： 1)用于结构、灌注和扩散谱MRI以及光谱成像的MR采集方法。工作的重点将是开发新的序列，以捕获大脑结构，生理（血流）和代谢的变化，提高灵敏度和分辨率，提高可靠性和精度。 2)提高MRI速度、效率和定量准确性的图像重建方法。这项工作的重点将是利用贝叶斯先验信息的属性进行确定性或统计图像建模，以提高图像质量，信噪比和分辨率。 3)MR图像处理技术，用于提取准确和可再现的解剖信息。工作的重点将是开发新的组织分割技术和新的空间归一化策略。 4)我们会把这些改善措施应用于与残疾人士有关的合作/服务计划 5)我们将为研究资源内外的研究者和工作人员提供培训。 6)我们将传播该资源产生的知识、工具和数据 该项目的意义有几个方面：首先，由于人口老龄化，ND的患病率正在迅速增长，迫切需要早期检测的方法。其次，由于基础知识的进步，ND的治疗方法正在开发中，需要灵敏的方法来确定治疗反应。该研究资源将开发用于临床诊断，早期检测和监测常见ND的进展和治疗效果的改进技术，这些技术进步也将适用于许多其他临床问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Our overall goal is to develop, optimize, and validate innovative and improved MRI techniques for the diagnosis, early detection, treatment monitoring, and investigation of neurodegenerative diseases (ND), which will be made available to the scientific community. These techniques will provide increased signal and contrast to noise and resolution per unit scan time, reduced susceptibility and motion artifacts, in order to improve disease detection. The techniques include improved MRI/MRS acquisition, image reconstruction methods, and processing/analysis methods for high magnetic field MRI/MRS. The results will be distributed to the scientific community. This proposal represents a continuation of collaborative work between MRI physicists, computer scientists and clinical investigators aimed at a single theme: neurodegenerative diseases. The specific aims of this Biotechnology Research Resource are to develop, optimize and validate: 1) MR acquisition methods for structural, perfusion, and diffusion spectrum MRI, and spectroscopic imaging. The focus of the work will be on developing new sequences to capture alterations of brain structure, physiology (blood flow), and metabolism with improved sensitivity and resolution and increased reliability and precision. 2) Image reconstruction methods for increasing speed, efficiency, and quantitative accuracy of MRI. The focus of the work will be on exploiting the properties of Bayesian prior information for either deterministic or statistical image modeling to improve image quality, signal-to-noise and resolution. 3) MR image processing techniques for extraction of accurate and reproducible anatomical information. The focus of the work will be on developing novel tissue segmentation techniques and new spatial normalization strategies. 4) We will utilize these improvements in collaborative/service projects concerning NDs 5) We will provide training for investigators and staff within and outside the Research Resource. 6) We will disseminate the knowledge, tools, and data generated by this resource The significance of this project is several fold: First, the prevalence of NDs is rapidly growing due to aging of the population and methods for early detection are urgently needed. Second, due to advances in basic knowledge, treatments for NDs are under development and sensitive methods to determine treatment response are required. This Research Resource will develop improved techniques for clinical diagnosis, early detection, and monitoring of progression and treatment effects of common NDs, and these technical advances will also be applicable to many other clinical problems.