Volunteer Scanning on MR

Clinical Center

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

During the pat year, we did not scan healthy volunteers because of COVID related restrictions to our ability to scan and to recruit. The publication listed made use of a high resolution balanced fast field echo / true FISP that we developed under the 98-CC-0019 protocol. This sequence is used to identify subdural effusions in patients with traumatic head injuries. In the previous calendar year, we devised a method for performing dynamic diffusion imaging using a nested cubes approach which allows for simultaneous measurement of dynamic changes in diffusivity (e.g. trace ADC) at the same time as measuring static traditional diffusion tensor metrics (e.g. fractional anisotropy). During this last year we have analyzed the data and shown the equivalence between methods. We have submitted a publication to Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Medicine which is now under review. Although during this last year, we did not recruit volunteers under this protocol, the above DDI methods developed in the were incorporated into the standard evaluation of epilepsy patients at the clinical center seen under 18-N-0066 Investigating Epilepsy PI Inati. During the last year over 50 epilepsy patients have been scanned using DDI with at a minimum of 5 repetitions. We have been developing methods to analyze this data to look for transient changes in diffusivity anticipated to occur in the interictal state. The analysis methods have matured to the degree that we can now analyze the clinical data.