Distributed processing of medical diagnostic data for early detection and classification of brain-related disorders

分布式处理医疗诊断数据，以早期检测和分类脑相关疾病

• 批准号: 341625-2012
• 负责人: Michailovich, Oleg
• 金额: $ 1.53万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2012-01-01 至 2013-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=509430
• 关键词: Distributed; processing; medical; diagnostic; data

The human brain is an organ of extraordinary complexity that determines our sensations, emotions, memory, intelligence, creativity, thought and action. Deep within the recesses of the human brain lie the answers to many of today's medical mysteries. Epilepsy, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, depression, Parkinson's disease, stress, multiple sclerosis, learning disabilities and autism are examples of neurological disorders which affect millions in Canada and around the globe. Many of such disorders are nowadays known to cause damage to neural fibre tracts in the white matter of the brain. This damage, on the other hand, can be detected and assessed by means of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI). This is what makes DW-MRI a unique tool of medical imaging, with a potential to revolutionize the field of neurological diagnosis. Unfortunately, collecting DW-MRI data is known to be a relatively lengthy process, which hinders the application of DW-MRI to many groups of neurological patients, including children and patients with dementia. As a result, the full diagnostic potential of DW-MRI still remains unrealized. To resolve this problem, in this project, we will develop methods for fast and accurate acquisition of DW-MRI data. Our methods will reduce the duration of DW-MRI scans, thereby improving their practical value. Subsequently, based on the acquired data, we will compute diagnostic biomarkers for early detection and classification of various neurological conditions, such as schizophrenia and post traumatic syndrome. If available, our technology will: 1) expand the applicability of DW-MRI diagnosis to wider groups of neurological patients, 2) provide practitioners with advanced methods for early detection of neurological disorders, and 3) improve the accessibility of MRI equipment to allow more Canadian patients to reap the advantages of this extraordinary tool of medical imaging.

人脑是一个极其复杂的器官，它决定着我们的感觉、情感、记忆、智力、创造力、思想和行动。在人类大脑深处隐藏着许多当今医学谜团的答案。癫痫、精神分裂症、阿尔茨海默病、抑郁症、帕金森病、压力、多发性硬化症、学习障碍和自闭症是影响加拿大和全球数百万人的神经系统疾病的例子。目前已知，许多这类疾病会对大脑白质中的神经纤维束造成损害。另一方面，这种损伤可以通过扩散加权磁共振成像（DW-MRI）来检测和评估。这就是为什么DW-MRI是一种独特的医学成像工具，有可能彻底改变神经学诊断领域。不幸的是，众所周知，DW-MRI数据的收集是一个相对漫长的过程，这阻碍了DW-MRI在许多神经系统患者群体中的应用，包括儿童和痴呆症患者。因此，DW-MRI的全部诊断潜力仍未实现。为了解决这一问题，在本项目中，我们将开发快速准确获取DW-MRI数据的方法。我们的方法将缩短DW-MRI扫描的时间，从而提高其实用价值。随后，基于获得的数据，我们将计算诊断性生物标志物，用于各种神经系统疾病的早期检测和分类，如精神分裂症和创伤后综合征。如果可行，我们的技术将：1)将DW-MRI诊断的适用性扩展到更广泛的神经系统患者群体，2)为从业者提供先进的方法来早期检测神经系统疾病，3)提高MRI设备的可及性，使更多的加拿大患者能够获得这一非凡的医学成像工具的优势。