Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Human Brain Anatomy and Function

National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke

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Abstract

Recent progress in the area of anatomical MRI includes establishement of iron as the primary contrast mechanism in susceptibility-weighted MRI at high field. Indications are that this iron is primarily in the form of ferritin. Further work is needed to firmly establish this suggestion and determine the cullalar localization of iron. Patient studies are currently underway to explore the utility of susceptibility-weighted contrast in Alzheimers Disesase and Multiple Sclerosis, and to link MRI disease markers with tissue changes as determined from histological analysis and staining of post-mortem brain tissues. Progress has also been made in the area of resting-state fMRI, where we found that the loss of consciousness during deep sleep is associated with reduced connectivity in one of the primary brain networks as determined from correlation analysis.